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Too often we meet business owners who are pulling their hair out due to the lack of performance and dedication of their employees. When asked what their biggest business frustration is, they generally reply “finding good staff!”
As a Business Coach, when I peel back the layers, I find that the cause of the problem often rebounds back to a very defensive employer. The reason – too many tasks are abdicated and not delegated.
What is the difference? Well, when an employer abdicates a task or role, he is abandoning all responsibility. A task is simply handed over to employees and they are expected to perform. (How often do we hear “They should know what to do!”).
The result – the employee struggles, things go pear shaped and the employer steps in to fix the problems. After a while the employer, out of sheer frustration at the number of problems arising, takes over that role again crying, “I tried giving them the job but if I want it done properly I will have to do it myself.”
The employees on the other hand is now confused because they thought they were doing a good job.Sick of being yelled at by the boss tehy become reluctant to make basic decisions.
There are however solutions. The first key to a winning team is strong leadership – and strong leaders delegate; they do not 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 the responsibility (with consequences and rewards) assigned.
Will the employee still make mistakes – Yes! But they are not left to flounder from mistake to mistake. They are supervised and with the employer’s input – taken through the steps of the process until a solution is found. And at this stage, the employee with the responsibility, fixes the problem.
Over time, the employees develop a clear picture of what is to be done, as well as the understanding of the importance of the task. They have confidence in performing the role, and know that if they make a mistake, they will have to fix it.
Because strong leaders are keeping performance measurements and have regular performance reviews with their team, each employee knows clearly that his future advancement within the company depends upon his own performance.
The employers, on the other hand, can now trust their employees. There are fewer frustrations, more consistent results and less workload on the boss. Everyone is now working together as a team and not as individuals.
Now you have a winning team!
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