The Power of Delegating It is quite liberating once you really do let go and put your trust in other people. So don't ruin it by being a control freak! Remember - before delegating job, you decided that this was not your area of expertise. You know what I mean - feeling that nobody else could do it as well as you - even though you don't know how to. If you know that you have controlling tendencies , you must learn to be a good client and give your partner all information they need to do job in line with your expectations.

For example, your accountant needs certain facts to achieve task of budgeting and forecasting cash flow for your business. You need to supply him/her with necessary information to get job done. You must understand process and know what you need outcome to be. You must also communicate these objectives clearly and monitor their progress (but not so often that they wish they never met you). Set meeting times for updates and a time line for completion.

The key is to identify good people, enlist them in your cause or business, give them ball, and then allow them to run with it.

Do not over-delegate. Excessive delegating can lead to disaster. A complete hands-off approach is abdicating your business responsibility. Let's take example of your relationship with your accountant. Not being a CPA is no excuse for not understanding budget of your company. You must understand how budget works and be accountable for it. You must also be able to communicate this information to relevant people in your business.

Most important, you must understand how critical pieces of your business fit together to form whole so you can make sound and effective business decisions. Should you not understand these processes, you run risk of losing control.

One last note: It is nice to want to do all work yourself. For one thing, on surface, it appears that it will save you money. However, time is also money and your time has a value. In today's world, being a "Jack of all Trades" is more likely to mean that you do a lot of things averagely.

If you understand your individual strengths and establish strong trusting partnerships to complement these, then your business has experts working for it in all areas. And that knowledge is comforting.

Requirements to qualify

If you fit these five basic requirements for research, then you might qualify under latest regulations.

1.New or Improved Product, Process or Software. Research must derive ways to improve a product or process such as development or improvement of a formula, invention or technique. 2.Technological. Research objective must be to discover technological information, based upon principals including computer science or engineering. 3.Research Involves Uncertainty or Risk. It must involve uncertainty or risk associated with design or method of design achievement, not including general business risk. 4.Experimentation Process. It must be well-documented and include failed and successful efforts. 5.Permitted Process. Activity for product or process improvement must relate to a function, performance, reliability or quality.

Your Tax Credits are Waiting for You

There is no better time to obtain ISO auditor training, well-defined process training, business process consulting, or to get maximum value out of a helpful key like Management Procedures Value Series. Tax credits may expire again later in 2005, so act before it is too late.