You have likely put years of passion and ambition into your career.  Look back to who you were when you began this journey.  At that time, you may have imagined yourself delegating tasks to others, instead of always carrying out tasks that were delegated to you.  

 

Now that you are likely on the flip side of that coin, are you flexing your delegation muscle, or do you find it difficult let others take over the heavy lifting?   

 

What can positive delegation habits do for you?  There are many benefits.  For example, you can multiply your own productivity, give yourself extra time to focus on important (versus urgent) issues, and provide your employees with the opportunity to develop their own career.

 

It's time to get your delegation on!  Warm up by asking yourself the following questions:

 

1. What is the overall goal or purpose of this task?

2. What results do I expect?

3. What skills are required to complete the project?

4. What resources are available to the team member?

5. What are the critical checkpoints?

 

"A crisis is like car trouble – it isn't a question of if it will  happen, rather when it is heading your way."  

~Anonymous 

 

Whether you are handling unexpected budget issues, employee disputes, or team breakdowns, one thing is for sure –The deeper the crisis, the more challenging it is for managers and executives to  figure out how to solve the problems and put everyone back on track. 

 

 

How do you typically lead your team out of Crisis Mode? 

 

Take action. Okay, we all have heard this one, right? How many public figures have been taken down by their inability to act on a problem?  Here is a twist on the "Take Action" principle. The truth is that even doing nothing is taking action, it will just be more likely to have negative results. So take a risk, and take an action that is likely to pull your team out of the crisis!

 

Prioritize.  You can't fix every aspect of your crisis at once, so help frame the process for your team by prioritizing components of the problem.

 

Stay focused on results.  If your team keeps its focus on the finish line, any lingering relationship issues or conversations about blame will fall by the wayside. 

 

Tighten discipline. With so many issues simultaneously, a crisis situation is a good time to remind your team of the consistent expectations you (and the organization) have for them.

 

Overcommunicate.  As a leader, it is easy to focus on operations or problem solving at the expense of staff communication.  Don't let yourself fall into this trap.  Utilize your team as a resource.  Increased communication will lessen the negative impact of the crisis.

 

Ever wonder why some ideas take off, and some don’t? We all know that it’s not arbitrary, but in Kevin Maney’s book The Trade-Off (Broadway Business, 2009) the puzzle is made clear in a way that will literally change the way you look at your own business – and perhaps your personal buying habits as well.

 

The underlying theme of the book is that all products and services fall within range of Fidelity, defined as the quality and aura of an experience,  and the Convenience (ease of use, access, and pricing). Maney does a wonderful job of detailing why striving for one or the other can help to narrow an organization’s focus, and how striving for both can spell doom. He deftly illustrates his argument with a host of examples from products and companies we all recognize, and once the reader grasps the concept you will find yourself nodding in agreement – and more importantly, applying the concepts. 

 

The Trade-Off is a fantastic & entertaining book, whether you peruse the pages in hardcover or on your Kindle. Can you guess which of those is the “High Fidelity”, and “High Convenience” reading option?