Are You on Overload? Delegation is One KeyWritten by Dorene Lehavi
You probably know that delegating work to others is a great and appropriate way to save time, prioritize your own agenda and to focus on what you "should" be doing. However, knowing when and how to delegate well is key to being successful at it. First, what does it mean to delegate? Del-e-gate: to assign responsibility or authority (from http://www.m-w.com) Next, are you successful at delegating tasks in your life and work? If not, what gets in way of successful delegation? Here are a few common factors: *You have not taken time to analyze all you are doing and therefore do not have awareness of what you could delegate. *You are a control freak and feel need to do it all yourself. *You do not have confidence that anyone else could do it well enough. *You enjoy doing it and don’t want to give it up. *You may feel that you will not be able to justify time you have opened up for yourself. If you are having trouble getting past some of these, engage someone to help you. Following are 8 keys to successful delegation. 1-Take time to look at everything you are doing. Make a list not only of big projects, but break down small details, for example, phone calls that need to be made, research to be done, whatever it is. Indicate with check marks or other kinds of notes a) which of those could be done by someone else, b) what you’d like to get rid of if you could even if how is not obvious, c) things you really must or want to keep for yourself. 2-Identify likeliest person to do those tasks you want to delegate. Ascertain that they are capable and are not themselves on overload. 3-Even if you are their boss, engage them politely by asking if they are ok with it. Do they have time and resources to do it? If they are too burdened at moment, when will they be in a position to take it on? When you show respect for people they will be inclined to help out. Of course, as boss you have right to insist, but you’d be wise to do it with respect and appreciation. 4-Make sure person you choose is capable to do task successfully. If not, you are setting someone up to fail and yourself to be even more stressed.
| | A Happy Professional Chooses ClientsWritten by Dorene Lehavi
Many professionals do not refuse clients out of fear of losing money. However, there is another side to coin -- high price of negative effect of accepting everyone who walks in door. One happy professional I know, a lawyer, always has a clear view of both his service and his ideal client. Contrary to conventional notion never to turn away a client, his laser beam approach about what he offers and for whom has brought him so much business he is now in process of hiring associates to handle work. He has a procedure he follows to determine which clients he accepts and which he doesn’t. Everyone is afforded an interview during which client outlines their expectations. As a patent attorney, he describes process, cost and reality that after a very long period of time, probably years, of living with case, it may not work out as they hoped. He and client ascertain if they can live with that kind of commitment. Next, he clarifies his billing policy stating that nothing will move forward, no filing, litigation, or act of any kind without advance payment. Phone calls are billed in 12 minute increments and calls will be returned within 24 hours. He won’t tolerate foul language or any kind of abuse of his staff. At end of this interview, it is usually pretty clear if he and client will be a good fit. Though my example is a lawyer, professionals in any field can benefit from this type of clarity when taking on new clients. What can you do to make your practice and life less stressful and more enjoyable when it comes to clients? Here is a suggestion: Make a list of your clients. Design a scale from 1 to 5 or another that makes sense to you. For example, rate polite and patient, reasonable expectations, provides needed information in a timely fashion, constant phone calls during late hours and weekends, abusive behavior.
|
