Have you ever let an important date escape being placed on your calendar, committed to do something for another person and the follow-thru didn’t hit the mark? Once it happens, inevitably you’ll realize it’s time to slow down. (Can you tell this is the voice of experience?) What it means is that you likely either have too many items on your plate–or you don’t care.
I can’t name a single person or organization I’ve worked with down thru the years who simply didn’t care. Generally, it’s that we don’t know how to delegate–or weren’t taught. We don’t know how to let go…or even if we should. Or we feel we need to micro-manage or it won’t get done properly. In my experience, it comes down to TRUST. I met with a person just last week who shared they did all 6 of the primary business operation roles: Sales, Accounting/Controller, HR Manager, Insurance, Quality, Safety/OSHA, Proofing orders before going to the internal customer (ie, their own employees), maintaining relationships with great Customer Service, and they are an Executive Board member too. And yet… this person shared they were considering the CEO role stating, “…but I will only consider giving up sales.” Hmmm. Really? Why can’t you delegate?
If you can’t trust your employees and want to do everything yourself, it’s likely a sign of micromanagement, which can lead to burnout, decreased team morale, and hindering your business growth. Instead, focus on building trust by clearly communicating your expectations (being willing to touch base on this repeatedly), providing proper training (not just a single time), and addressing specific concerns you have with individual employees, rather than taking on all the work yourself. By not delegating tasks, you’re risking burnout and preventing your employees from developing new skills and taking on more responsibility needed for both the company and the employee to reach their potential. If this is you, recognize…it’s time to slow down. Look at the Root Cause–YOU.
Really look at why you lack trust in your employees. Are there specific performance issues, a lack of communication, or unclear expectations about their job? If so, address them. Talk with people openly, but respectfully about your concerns, focusing on specific behaviors and not general accusations. Clearly define the roles & responsibilities and set expectations–which you come to agreement on with SMART Goals. Then provide training, support, and regular feedback–both positive and constructive if changes are needed. Especially if there is a personality conflict, be honest and together develop a solution. This will ensure you have the employee’s buy-in.
Then develop and implement a system which provides a visual showing for the team how each task, and each employee, is coming along. This is how you find the time to slow down and focus. Your employees WANT your trust and respect. They want to do a good job but also need the proper resources (ie, time, people, money, tools) to do that job. Start by looking at what you can unload from your plate.