April 2005

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<I>April 2005</I></div> <div> <I>The following article was first published in the Eastern Daily Press' 'The Business'  on 26 April 2005</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Step by step by step…..</B></div> <div> When I wrote last month about the difficulty many business owners have with delegation, I mentioned that one of the most common excuses I hear for not entrusting one of their team with a task is `nobody else has the necessary skills to do that job, so I do it myself'.  OK, so if that's really the case, who's fault is it that the owner is the only one with the requisite skills?  And what can be done about it?</div> <bR> <div> Remember, delegation is about far more than getting rid of tasks the owner doesn't want to do.  Much more importantly, it's a way of freeing up valuable time that the owner needs for more strategic purposes and also of reducing the business risk of having too much knowledge and experience residing solely in the owner's head.  </div> <bR> <div> To start with, I always suggest that the owner identify a job that he or she has always done and then write down, in basic, sequential terms exactly what they do to accomplish that job - step by step by step.  For example, if one of the things that you simply daren't let anyone else do is the payroll (which was exactly the situation of one of my clients) why not just capture on paper precisely what it is that you do each month.  Be as detailed as you like, because what you're actually doing is the first draft of a training or procedure manual that is ultimately going to release you from some responsibilities and let you get on with other things.  And it's also going to be the document that allows you to train others to do things the way you do them which, after all, is what you want, isn't it?  But beware, dear business owner - if my experience is anything to go on - you may well find that, in time, your employees may well improve on your original effort and develop a procedure or a system that is actually superior to yours!  And, when you think about it, why shouldn't they?</div> <bR> <div> Whilst writing down each step of a particular task you currently perform, don't be surprised if you find inefficiencies or wasted actions.  This is quite common and is a healthy sign that there is room for improvement in any process - even one used by the boss! An especially valuable thing to think about when documenting a job that you've done for years is to use checklists wherever possible.  Even experienced airline pilots, with many thousands of hours' logged in command of hugely sophisticated airliners, and who could run through the steps of preparing their aircraft for flight in their sleep, use checklists to make sure that they don't make simple, obvious errors.  If it works for them, why shouldn't it work for anyone?</div> <bR> <div> Checklists are simple, concise and are a great way to help your team do things properly time after time.  For example, you might have a manual for the normal steps of operating a particular piece of equipment, but have a laminated checklist on the wall behind the machine which shows certain settings that should be used for various applications.  The combination of a reference document (the manual) and a checklist to ensure essential settings are accomplished is an excellent way of enabling people to do their work to the standards expected.</div> <bR> <div> If you're the owner, and you've always resisted delegating what you perceive as crucial tasks to others, isn't the accomplishment of work to the standard you expect of yourself enough to allow you to let go and hand the reins to someone else?  It's a very liberating thing, delegation.  And it needn't be as frightening as you might think<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >.</FONT></div> </td> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>