Monthly Archives: May 2010

Giving away my power

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This month has been an interesting and taxing struggle for me. I delegated work!

Not just any work, but the type of work that I quite honestly enjoy a great deal. I’m quite happy to delegate the stuff I don’t really enjoy doing, but the things I love to do and that I’m pretty good at doing?

The first major shift for me this month was delegating a number of coaching clients to my team. Not unusual in itself, but for the first time, delegating the whole of GAPPS3 feedback.

The second major shift is our new website. Now I’ve been pretty good at creating websites, programming fancy things, building communities and so on, and secretly I thoroughly enjoy doing it and seeing what else the technology can do and how it can help our clients. The trouble is, 90% of the widgets and gadgets never actually get used, and sometimes, people can’t find the important things when they are looking.

So, this time I’ve got in a pro to help. Pam Siow, is an expert at website design and comes highly recommended. The only difficulty for me has been ‘letting go’ and empowering her to do the job.

Does she do things the way I would?
No way!

And whilst that’s why I asked her to do it… oh it’s been tough to just allow her to do her job. I’m glad I did by the way, check out the result for yourself, and do tell us what you think.

So here’s what I learned.

Delegation

Delegate [del-i-geyt]: to send or appoint (a person) as deputy or representative; to commit (powers, functions, etc.) to another as agent or deputy.

I probably spend about a third of my coaching hours helping leaders delegate effectively and empowering their staff. Of course, I have all the theory and ‘proof’ and do have considerable experience of delegating (it is kinda difficult to run hotels, restaurants and pubs or a B. School without using at least some of the staff to help).

Delegating to someone successfully needs the leader to:

1. Establish exactly what to delegate to whom
2. Clarify the specific results you want
3. Clearly define responsibilities
4. Communicate the scope and authority
5. Establish a time frame
6. Monitor progress

So far so good. I knew what to delegate and to whom. Number 2… now that was more difficult, but having chosen to delegate to a professional, I was well guided. Then the erst was easy. Keeping to my side of the deal… well that was a test of willpower smile

Delegation is not that difficult is it?

Not when the person to whom you are delegating knows what they are doing, has the right experience, attitude, motivation and process. So why did I resist it so much? Why was I so uncomfortable?

Partly it’s pride I admit, mostly though, its about power! I’m giving power over my business, my marketing, my public face… to someone else!

Empowerment

Empower [em-pou-er]: to give power or authority to; authorize, esp. by legal or official means; to enable or permit.

Last month in my newsletter, I shared about “Trust” (You can sign up here) – which perhaps is a precursor of empowerment, or for many “trust” is something that comes after the result. You either reduce uncertainty by trusting without certainty, or you reduce uncertainty by shifting the burden.

trussed.jpg

Empowering someone though is much more than delegation and trust. Empowering is giving away your power!

Now if your level of influence (read my article on Influence Level here when you want to know more) is on the lowest rung, “Position”, you will always struggle to empower because ‘power’ is all you have and if you give it to someone else, well how will you influence them?

The key to empowerment is in the second definition above: “Enable” – to make ready, to equip, to make able.

You as the leader need to teach, coach or mentor that person with the skills, knowledge, expertise, means and resources they need to undertake the tasks you wish to delegate to them.

So, strictly speaking, this last month I’ve empowered by coaches to take on some of my clients and I delegated my website to Pam.

The result? Well, judge the latter for yourselves (and do let us have your feedback).

And I’m learning to loosen my grip to gain more control smile

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Don’t Pander to Learning Styles

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The idea that you should tailor your programs to the unique learning styles of your participants is nothing more than a myth.

The problem is not with learning styles, per se, but with the misguided notion that teachers and trainers should pander to these styles. This notion is underpinned by a belief that matching your approach to your learners’ preferred styles will help them to learn more effectively. Sadly, despite its popularity, research1 does not support this belief.

via Don’t Pander to Learning Styles.

Avoid a disconnect between graduate recruitment and development

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Graduate programs that separate recruitment from development are at risk of over promising and under delivering, says David Cvetkovski, national manager of strategy and delivery at Fusion Graduate Management Solutions.

All too often recruiters are told to simply “go out and get” graduates, says Cvetkovski, who is speaking at the Australasian Talent Conference in Sydney today.

“They go out with their brand; they go out to the careers fairs with glossy stands and banners that say ‘Come work for us!’.”

Then, when the graduates show up in the first week of February, there has been “no connection” with the learning and development area to say “OK, what are their specific needs?”.

via Avoid a disconnect between graduate recruitment and development | All articles.

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