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As a Business Coach too often we hear business owners complain of a lack of performance and dedication from their employees. The reason - too many tasks are abdicated and not delegated.
What is the difference?
Well, when an employer abdicates a task or role, they are abandoning all responsibility. A task is simply thrust at an employee and they are expected to perform (How often do we hear "I employed them to do a job, they should know what to do!").
The result - The employer runs from problem to problem putting out fires instead of taking preventative measures to ensure these problems don't keep reoccurring. The employee on the other hand is now confused because they thought they were doing a good job. Eventually the employee loses any confidence to make even basic decisions, compounding issues and making the work environment even less productive.
The first key to a winning team is strong leadership - and strong leaders delegate rather than abdicate.
Delegation relies on the owner keeping control of the situation but not the work. The task is explained, training provided, performance measurements set and taken and the responsibility (with consequences and rewards) assigned.
Employees will still make mistakes, but with an investment in supervision, training and support, the employee will feel; one, more a part of a team; and two, more a productive member of your business. The result - reducing the effects and time that those mistakes impact the business.
The employee gains a clearer picture of what is to be done as well as the importance of the task. They gain more confidence in performing the role, and know that if they make a mistake they must fix the problem.
As a business coach it is my role to guide, educate and assist an owner undertake and implement appropriate systems and procedures that will create the best results for their business. Delegation is sometimes a difficult concept to get many business owners to master, as relinquishing that control is often the most difficult step.
Delegating is actually a higher level of control, monitoring, supervising and developing your team, so they gain the skills and confidence to master the roles and responsibilities they were employed to do.
A strong leaders will keep performance measurements and have regular performance reviews with their team, thus each employee knows clearly that future remuneration or advancement through the company depends on their own individual performance as well as how they work together as a team.
The business owner can now begin trusting their employees. There will be fewer frustrations, more consistent results and less workload on the boss. Everyone is now working together as a team and not individual staff.
Remember - if you treat your employees as staff, you will get ‘Staff All' out of them.