Management Information

Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works


A leader's role is to focus on those areas of operation where he or she can deliver the greatest value and this requires huge shifts in perspective of the role. Leaders differ from managers in terms of accountability.

Whilst a leader is accountable for the strategic growth of the organisation and the delivery of results, a manager is more responsible of delivery of shorter-term results through people.

These are, of course, generalisations and roles vary.

Developing others through delegation is a great way to grow skills and confidence in your workforce. Through utilising the viewpoints of others, you create the variety of solutions which might well escape you, from your own experienced, though single perspective.

As well as radically improving the quality of your workforce, the leader who works in this way also does much more for their own focus. If a job can be done at the lowest possible cost level, true with some training and on the job coaching, then that frees you up for the role you're being paid for too.

Your Q2 time (see 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' - Stephen Covey) multiplies and you can start to use your own creative skills in the bigger framework.

To grow and develop your business or organisation. Safe in the knowledge that you have great people around you and they are realising their own potential too.

An exercise to consider!

  • Make a list of those things you currently do, yet someone else could do.

  • Decide to give up 20% of your role to others within your organisation within a defined timescale (1 - 3 months). 50% within a year. Value your time for what your strengths can uniquely provide.

  • Check out your own, personal 'nice-to-do's' rather than 'need-to-do's'. I.e. is it something you are choosing to do because you like doing it ahead of it being important enough?

  • Review how the extra time can be best used to deliver the more challenging parts of your role - especially regarding future goals and visions.

  • Spot check that you are also enabling others to develop and remember that they may well require clarity and coaching in new activities to start with.

    Doing the 'stuff' you do, rather than achieving your true worth, is escapism - it is finding things to 'do' rather than thinking, creating, challenging and firing yourself up.

    So it's time to step up.

    Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, executives and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.

    (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)

    ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...


    MORE RESOURCES:

    Reuters

    CORRECTED: Management wins bid for Lehman's Neuberger
    Reuters - 1 hour ago
    PK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) prized asset management unit Neuberger Berman has been won by a team consisting of Neuberger's management, ...
    Neuberger Berman Management, Lehman to Purchase Investment Unit Bloomberg
    Neuberger to Be Acquired by Management MarketWatch
    Three Bidders Emerge for Lehman Investment Management Unit Wall Street Journal
    New York Times - Bloomberg
    all 293 news articles


    Upcoming CyberShift Webcast Examines the ROI of SaaS-Deployed ...
    MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
    Through an automated workforce management solution -- especially using the SaaS-based delivery model -- organizations can leverage their workforces to ...


    Everest Software Partners with Foxfire to Offer Integrated ...
    MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
    Foxfire specializes in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). Comprised of software, hardware, and professional services, Foxfire's WMS solution is ideal for ...


    SuccessFactors' Professional Edition Enhances Orion Bank's ...
    MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
    the global leader in on-demand performance and talent management solutions, today announced Orion Bank has selected the SuccessFactors Professional Edition ...


    Research and Markets: Decision Matrix: Selecting an Institutional ...
    MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
    ... of the "Decision Matrix: Selecting an Institutional Performance Management Solution in Higher Education (Competitor Focus)" report to their offering. ...
    Research and Markets: Selecting a Managed Network Services Vendor ... MarketWatch
    all 12 news articles


    Goldman wealth management unit hit by fund's decline: report
    Reuters - 10 hours ago
    This decline in the fund, called Goldman Sachs Liquidity Partners 2007, has hurt the company's plans to expand its wealth management operations, ...
    Another Goldman unit hit by decline Financial Times
    Another Goldman unit hit by decline FT Alphaville
    all 18 news articles


    BBC News

    Services contracting at the worst pace ever
    MarketWatch - Dec 3, 2008
    ... contracting in November at the fastest pace on record, according to a survey of companies released Wednesday by the Institute for Supply Management. ...
    RPT-TABLE-US ISM non-manufacturing index 37.3 in Nov Reuters
    Service sector weakens in November CNN
    ISM: New Orders, Prices Plummet TheStreet.com
    Seeking Alpha - MarketWatch
    all 854 news articles


    RCN Management to Present at UBS 36th Annual Global Media ...
    MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
    , , ) , a leading provider of all-digital television, high-capacity data, and voice services to residential, business customers and service providers, ...
    Avaya Global Services Offer to Help Enterprises Optimize Existing ... MarketWatch
    all 19 news articles


    Qualia Clinical Services: New Director, Data Management and ...
    MarketWatch - 19 hours ago
    "Data Management and Regulatory Affairs are a very integral part of what we do at Qualia, and we are very confident that Dr. Por's background and expertise ...


    MMM Successfully Completes Contract Management Project for ERDAS
    MarketWatch - Dec 3, 2008
    Morris, Manning & Martin's Contract Management System helps businesses of all sizes manage their contracts more efficiently and effectively. ...

    Management - Google News

  • home | site map
    © 2006