A Big Tip For Managing People The Right Way
Oct 23, 2009 I Don't Like to Work
By: Greg Clement
Below I’ve got a very powerful strategy that you
can use to build a BIG business.
One of the first things you need to do to GROW
your business is to get a little help. Maybe
it’s hiring an assistant, or an office manager,
or even a birddog…
YOU will have to focus on revenue producing
activities and put all the small repetitive
tasks on someone else’s plate – you’ll need
someone to delegate some of the workload to.
Delegation is one of the most important aspects
of your business. It’s what allows you to focus
on other areas of your business and to
drive tremendous revenues.
I don’t know if you know this, but there are
certain daily tasks you do in your business
that produce a return WAY OVER $200 per hour.
I know you know this – there are things that
produce nothing, but have to be done anyways.
You need to FOCUS your time on revenue producing
activities and you gotta be thinking about the
“highest and best use of your time.” (if you want
me to explain this more in detail I can in another
blog post, let me know by leaving a comment)
OK so let’s say you’ve got an assistant now, have
you noticed that you can delegate and still end
up doing 50% of the project and making most of
the decisions?
That’s because most people go about delegating
all wrong.
One of the most important things you need to do
when you delegate to someone is to make sure they
know that they have the freedom to be able to
complete the project on their own.
They need to understand that they only need to
communicate with you about the project when
they’ve either reached a milestone or have
run into a hurdle which will prevent them
from reaching a milestone.
I’m no different, I had the same problems.
For years, I had problems with my employees
making sure I was fine with every little
decision they made. The reality was that I
was totally cool with 95% of the decisions
they were making. And even the 5% that I
would have changed, weren’t a big enough deal
to make a big difference.
When I look back on everything, it turns out
that almost 100% of the little interruptions
in my business life could have been avoided
if I had been more clear when delegating to
my team.
That revelation alone has prompted me to
constantly come up with new ways to communicate
to my team that once they have good direction
and know exactly what to do, that they are to
execute on the project and are to only come to
me when they’ve reached a milestone or have a
road block that prevents them from reaching that
milestone.
My team members never really “got” that.
I’ve tried in vain to communicate this to people
over and over again and it’s only through the
use of a parable that my employees have really
been able to grasp what I’ve been talking about
and our production has skyrocketed since.
My parable is the story of the bus driver.
The bus driver, obviously, is the person driving
the bus (me). I am the leader of my company – I
drive the bus here. And we’re going places. We’ve
got a clear direction on where we’re going and I’m
in charge of getting us there.
Let’s pretend everyone else (my team) is along
for the ride and we’re all moving forward.
Now if somebody on the bus interrupts the bus
driver, who then gets distracted and takes their
eyes off the road, even for a split second, that
could mean disaster.
This is the same thing that happens when the bus
driver of a company is distracted. The driver has
to stop the bus, which really stops the progress
of the whole company to look at one small detail.
Chances are the person who distracted the driver
could have gone ahead and executed on their project
without bringing the bus to a screeching halt.
So it was through the use of this powerful story
that my team finally got the fact that every time
they interrupted me, they were literally stopping
the forward motion of the entire company.
So in order for this not to happen, it’s super
important for you to be very clear in your delegation.
The only way that you will stop this from happening
is to give explicit direction and make it clear that
they have the autonomy to complete the project
until they either hit a milestone or hit a brick wall.
This has made all the difference…
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Tags: greg clement, maximizing time, Real Estate Investing, teamwork
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Greg, This is right on, but how do you convince your partner she is not using her time effectively when she feels she has to do everything, herself, or it won’t be right? She has even taken up decking and put it back, herself, because the workers didn’t understand the size of the gap she wanted between planks. They got paid; she didn’t.
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Good story that got the point home to me. This will help me in more ways than one. THANKS!
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
“highest and best use of your time.
How to get back from draining time on small tasks?
Can you lighten out in office, what shall we keep and what shall not even consider bringing in office?
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm
This same type of example happened with the Bell System upon divestiture. Every type of job was spelled out in the BSP’s Bell System Practices, as the brake-up continued, fragmentation ensued. Do you see the corollation to service, pride and dedication to job performance? Once a fine oiled machine can have disruption from external, as well as internal entities. It is always best to be cognizant. Great post Greg.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I’m familiar with most of these ideas, but really like the bus driver analogy. May bring that up at my next staff meeting. KC
October 24th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Thanks Greg, Good pictures about the bus. I have to agree with you, yet it has be a real challenge for me to let go and delegate.
Thanks
Dean
October 24th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Hey, I am a truck driver trying to start my own company, Williams Freight Lines. I have poor credit and no money to purchase a truck. Should I try for a government business grant or just try and save the money to get credit straight and get business license not to mention get authority? Where do I need to start, what are the steps I need to take to start.
October 24th, 2009 at 6:03 am
this was really good, thanks.
October 24th, 2009 at 8:19 am
GREAT POST – I think lots of people try delegating tasks out – it doesn’t work THAT time so they write it off totally.
I would love to see another follow up post on specifically what you delegate in your RE business and maybe some of the obstacles/challenges you have over come with STARTING that process with employees and partners.
October 24th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Gregg,
This blog brings back the focus that i to have in current projects.
I NEED SOME IDEAS ON GETTING FUNDING FOR THE OPERATION SIDE OF THE PROJECTS THAT I’VE STARTED.
WAYNE,
October 25th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Greg … Now to the Nitty Griddy People being people ….. Over 40 yrs (expecially the last 20 yrs) so you may identify with this …
I have experienced times when some of my good and key people seem to get jealous about the way I work …. Delegating … etc.
I explain that certain things have been delegated to them that so that I have the time to do ONLY what I can or should be doing. Then this allows me to spend my time reading and studying and thinking etc.
Once in 1985 after creating some software to systematize a process … one aid said .. I really did not do anything the clerk who processed the work and the software did the work. hmmmm
One company I started … was so personally branded (to much so) because new clients came on because of my reputation and when I decided to close it and walk away … the company ceased to exist…
However the point is … sometimes Good people may feel like the boss is not working … or not working as hard as they are … even though the boss may be working harder …. or workers may feel the boss is taking too much time off going too seminars etc. (there seems to be a undertone of jealousy sometimes because they can not work as I have chosen too design my work …. Your pretty young. Have you experienced this yet?
anyway … Good post ..
PS Oh John W. Collins website above seems to have expired ….
October 26th, 2009 at 1:29 am
Dear Greg:
Excellent take on “delegation”,but
your heading made me cringe.You can “manage” a business; you can “manage” a project; you can
even “manage”a team; but please, never try to “manage people”.It’s insulting & demeaning.I’m sure that was not your intention.
Wilhi
October 26th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Greg;
Good article,
thanks for posting.
Best,
Reggie Lal
ReggieLal.com
October 26th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Greg,
Great Stuff. Do you also give your employees a “suggested” time frame as to how long it should take them to reach a milestone? You didn’t indicate. I am leaning toward providing time guidelines as part of the milestone process.
I ask because I’ve had situations where my employees and I agreed on them completing a milestone. In my mind it would take me a day to complete and maybe a bit longer for them. However, 3 days into the project the employees are still at 50% completion. When do I as the “bus driver” jump in, and in so doing doesn’t it defeat the whole delegate concept?
October 27th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Great Post! Delegation is key to success in any system one decides to run.
November 1st, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Awesome post it is the true meaning of freedom from your business. I have known you for a few years and I am amazed with your talents and executions of creative abilities at lightning speed. More power to Josh and you and blessings. The song goes” I’m Amazed By You”. That was my wedding song my wife picked at our wedding. Thank you for the education on a monthly basses.
“What Comes Out of Your Mouth Goes Into Your Pocket”
HP
November 1st, 2009 at 6:17 pm
BOY something like this makes you thank everone reading this hasn’t got a lick of sence