“Once it gets off my plate, though, it’s really hard to get back to it. When I delegate something, I would like to forget about it,” Erica complained.

“That’s because you are only thinking about yourself, and even at that, you are still missing something,” I replied.

“But, if I’m not the one responsible for the task, anymore, I just lose focus on it.”

I nodded in agreement. “Just because you lose focus, doesn’t make it right. And you can change your focus.”

“I don’t know. It’s easy to say, hard to do.”

“So, even though the task is gone, how are you going to maintain visibility, so you don’t lose focus?” -TF

I don’t care how much you, as a manager, know. I don’t care how you, as a manager, feel.

I only care about what you, as a manager, can do.

The best (and only) judgment of performance is performance.

Education is all about teaching you things to know. Motivation is all about making you feel. But all I care about is, what you can do.

That’s why we started Working Leadership Online. This is a hands on program that helps you to implement managerial leadership practices in your own daily work life. Next week, our Working Leadership group turns their attention to Delegation. I don’t care how much you know about delegation. I don’t care how you feel about delegation. I only care that you can do.

You can read this blog and know something. You can read this blog and it may make you feel differently about something. But the blog is not designed to help you do.

And that’s why we started Working Leadership. I just put the finishing touches on the curriculum that starts Monday. It’s good stuff. You can sign up for the upcoming Delegation subject area or you can register for the next three (Delegation, Control Systems, and Managing Time) at a discount. Each subject area lasts three weeks. We currently have 16 managers actively participating in this program and we’d like to see you join in, too. Check it out. -TF

“I don’t understand. Delegation saves time,” Julio puzzled.

“Yes, but let’s change the leverage point,” I replied. “Instead of thinking about the benefits to you, as a manager, what are the benefits to the person you delegate to?”

Julio was thinking. He nodded. “Well, they will be able to take on more responsibility?”

“Okay, but how does that benefit the team member?”

“They may learn something new. Gain a new skill. Try something they have never tried before. It might lay the groundwork for a promotion.”

“And if they are successful at this new skill, how much time will that save you?” I asked.

Julio sat back. Chuckling. “If they really learn it, could save me a hundred hours.”

“And that’s the leverage I am talking about. You work for one hour, get a hundred hours of productivity.”
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

“Every manager first thinks of delegation as a Time Management tool,” I said. “And it is powerful, but not if you think about it in terms of Time Management.”

Julio nodded that he was listening but I could see the skepticism in his eyes.

“You think you can save an hour here or there, but that is chump change compared to the leverage available. Julio, tell me, what are the major benefits to you, as a manager, when you are able to effectively delegate?”

“Okay,” Julio started. “If I can delegate, I can spend more time working on more important things. I can get more done. I may be able to get enough done to take off a little early, maybe take a full half-hour for lunch. I would have time to start on projects that have been sitting on the back burner. I would have more time for coaching and planning.”

“And that’s the problem.” -TF
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

Thanks to all of you who responded yesterday about the beta test for Management Myths and Time Span. We got our test group by around 11:00a. For those of you who responded after that, we started another list and we will let you know when we release the program (1-2 weeks).
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Julio continued to resist. “The biggest problem with delegation is that it takes too long to explain what I want done. In less time, I can finish the project myself and I don’t have to worry about any loose ends dangling.”

“What is the purpose for delegation?” I asked. “Why am I so insistent that you should delegate more often?”

“That’s easy. Delegation is all about Time Management. But, that’s not my experience. I spend a half hour explaining something that takes me fifteen minutes to do. How is that Time Management?”

“What kind of leverage are you trying to get when you delegate?”

“Well, if I can unload something that takes me an hour to do, then that saves an hour,” he explained. “But if it takes me a half hour to explain, or review the work, then that leverage is 2 to 1.”

“That’s a good start, but you should be looking to gain more leverage. You should be able to work for one hour and get five hours productivity. A better target would be to work for one hour and get ten hours productivity.”

Julio looked puzzled.
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

“I don’t know,” Julio replied. “I try to delegate as often as I can, but it always ends up, back in my lap.”

“Does it seem like you delegate things to your team on Monday and then your team delegates back to you on Wednesday?” I asked.

“I never thought about it that way, but you’re right. It’s almost like reverse delegation. They get stuck with a problem, come to me for help and before you know it, they are out the door with the project on my desk.”

“How does that happen?”
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

“I know I need to delegate more often, and I try, but I gotta tell you, I am not happy with some of the results,” Julio explained. “It takes longer to delegate than to do it myself. And half the time, I have to come back in, take over the project and begin again. It’s frustrating.”

“And what else?” I asked.

“You want me to go on?” he replied.

I nodded.

“I don’t trust them. I have a great team, but they let me down too often. We have a mission critical project and I try to get some help and it’s always me having to save the day.”

“Why do you think that happens?” -TF
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.