UVG-newsletter-JUNE18-print

The art of
DELEGATION
A requirement of a successful business
If you want your clinic to run seamlessly with a high profit, whether you are there or not,
you WILL have to be great at delegating. The whole point of delegating is to get your time
back. Necessary, if you are going to make more money with less effort. Outlined below is
some guidelines around how to do this by getting back to basics.
Why don’t we do more delegation?
Essentially for three reasons;
• we can do ‘it’ quicker, faster and better ourselves,
• we get it right the 1st time,
• we’ve been let down so often (in different ways)
in the past,
• it takes time to train someone else.
So, we do ‘everything’ ourselves.
This then ensures that
• we become overloaded with ‘low end or menial’ work,
• we never find the time to ACTUALLY work ‘on’
the business because we are always too busy
working ‘in’ it,
• we don’t give our team members the opportunity
to grow and develop,
• we lose good people because they don’t feel
trusted and respected.
When you follow the 9-step delegation protocol, you
will avoid all the pitfalls normally associated with
delegation. You will free up more time for yourself and
grow your Team.
Step 1: Creating a list
Write down a list of things that you are currently doing
that you could delegate; which is basically everything
except breathing, if you want to get hard core.
Step 2: Staff discussions
Discuss the things with your staff that you want to delegate,
and see who wants to do what. No point forcing someone
to do something they are always going to be awful at or your
workload may double. Staff ACTUALLY enjoy being made
solely responsible for things as it increases their self-esteem.
Step 3: Tool and training
See what tools and training your staff require to do the
task well. You MUST set time aside to give them the
training. If they feel that there is no support, they will
often just accept it is too hard.
Step 4: Time frames
Agree on time frames to complete the tasks. If they cannot
set a time frame to complete the task, then I suggest you
find another person to do it. What you are looking for here
is commitment from your staff.
Step 5: New responsibilities
Ask them, “Now are you fully clear on what is involved?”
Get them to describe what they are going to do, when by,
and the outcomes that will be achieved. This step is getting
their subconscious to buy in.
Step 6: Check points
Put check points in place for them to tick off when
completed (if appropriate). Then hand over the task and
DON’T LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER. Watch from a
distance but ensure it is happening. If they do it differently
but get the desired outcome, let them do it that way and
maybe you will learn from them!
Have you ever been shown how to do something, asked
to do it, then been told at the end that you should have
done it this way or that? It is the guaranteed fastest way
to demotivate someone. A check point will allow you to go
through with staff how it is all going, for example; do they
need help in any areas? This ensures you are on track.
Step 7: Tasks
Never let them hand the task back to you. This is an out
and it will make it harder for you to delegate in the future.
You may need to get someone else to take over or assist,
but refuse to take it back yourself.
Step 8: Document tasks
Get the staff member to file their system. This includes the
learning required, things to watch out for etc. A real ‘A-Z’,
so the next person who must take on the task will be able
to take over easily. This will mean you only have to do the
process once.
Step 9: Reward hard work
Reward, and mean it. This can be verbally, a box of
chocolates, time off or praise in front of others.
Whatever you do, recognition is the most POWERFUL
form of motivation for employees in 90% of cases. This is
an incredibly powerful step and one that you should be
working on all the time.