Are you delegating what you don't do best 

Those who succeed in anything have been able to identify what they do best and then go ahead and "do it". At the same time they recognize what they don't do well and know enough to give it to those more capable. Delegating seems so natural, but are we really doing it enough and letting go of those projects and activities better suited in the hands of others?

Let us know your strengths. Drop us a note at marketing@vericom.net.

Focus on your strengths and delegate the rest
By Mike Mitchell

The road to success is well traveled by those who know how to effectively use their strengths and delegate those projects and tasks that may be best suited for others. When you know your strengths as well as your limitations and put them in to practice you, too, can travel this road.

What is a strength?
Authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton in their book Now, Discover Your Strength define a strength as “a consistent near perfect performance in any activity.”

They offer Bill Gates as an example of someone who recognizes that one of his strengths is taking innovations and turning them into user friendly applications. The ability to build and maintain an enterprise in the face of legal and commercial assaults was not Gates forte. Fortunately, Steve Ballmer, Gates partner, did have strength in this area. Microsoft products have become ubiquitous around the world, in part, because both men focused on their individual strengths.

Identifying your strengths
What are your strengths (and those of your staff)? You probably already have a good idea! What activities do you consistently perform with outstanding results? Usually it’s what you enjoy, if not your passion. Do you excel at managing projects, working with people, or resolving technical issues? Are you great at meticulously reviewing invoices, writing and updating SOPs, or training and development?

Take a few minutes today to mentally inventory your strengths. John Maxwell, author, speaker and one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership, recommends the following formula:

• Focus 70% on your strengths
• Focus 25% on new things
• Focus 5% on your weaknesses (Delegate!)

The benefits of focusing on your strengths

• Makes better use of your time—Don’t waste your time doing a task your staff can do better. You can do more in less time if you play to your strengths and concentrate on priorities.
• Develops and encourages your team—Delegating to your staff's strengths encourages them, improves their skills, creates a team attitude, and increases your effectiveness as a leader.
• Inspires excellence rather than competence—Focusing on what you do best allows you to excel, rather than settle for mediocrity in those areas where your performance and results may be weaker.
• Reduces stress—When you delegate everything from your special projects to your department’s routine responsibilities to the strongest person (btw, this could be you!) you have the security in knowing the most capable person is in charge.

As a manager, you have to maintain competency in many areas that may not be your strengths. I know that staff evaluations, yearly budgets, invoice approval, etc. require a manager’s attention. Don’t ignore those areas, but not everything has to be done by the department head. When you focus on your strengths, you will be a few miles farther down the road to success.

- Mike

Dear Mike: I have to give a presentation to a user group but I've never done anything like this before. Can you give me any advice?

Mike's Answer: More than 20 years ago, I discovered four principles for giving effective presentations. These principles have helped me make effective presentations in classroom, boardroom and platform environments with clarity and confidence.

Know your objective
What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to inform (transfer information, i.e. train), motivate (call-to-action), convince (change listener's opinion), or a combination of the three.

Know your subject
Become as knowledgeable as possible about your subject. Think of questions your audience might ask if you have a Q & A session. Then be ready to respond. Remember, you don't have to know everything.

Know your audience
Find out how knowledgeable your audience is about your subject. This will determine how you approach your presentation. Aim your talk at the general level of knowledge of your audience.

Know yourself and your capabilities
Be confident in your subject knowledge and be prepared. If you speak softly, use a microphone. If you feel the need to use notes, make sure they're legible and highlight your major talking points. Practice your presentation so you can "speak from your notes" and not read your notes.

If you keep your presentation concise and relevant, the audience will appreciate your effort, preparation and presentation. Good Luck!

To get a more detailed look at a wide variety of presentations skills, I recommended reading Karen Berg's book Loud & Clear.

- Mike

Have a question for Mike? Email him at mike@telexcellence.com.

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