All, Business Education

Are You Delegating or Demanding

Throughout the course of building a business, you’ll learn over time to delegate tasks and responsibilities to various people with the right skill sets. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs, like Sir Richard Branson and Mark Cuban, state no one can do it alone. That’s certainly true, you can’t do everything on your own and for those who attempt to do so, learn the hard way it’s an open invitation to trouble and even outright failure. The best business owners know their strengths and weaknesses and through this recognition, develop strategies and relationships which maximize their professional potential.

Are You Delegating or Demanding?

Delegating responsibilities is just part of doing business. Done smartly, this increases productivity and gives companies potential to grow and prosper. It also allows team members to realize their potential and creates a healthier and happier work environment. Delegating shows your confidence in someone and gives them pride to take ownership of certain areas. In addition, delegating allows you to focus on what’s most important while others can put their efforts into other tasks.

Delegating is a great way to ensure that more tasks get done in less time, and it also builds team capacity. Unfortunately, a lot of managers don’t pay enough attention to the delegation process, and thus fail to reap the benefits. —Fast Company

Another aspect of delegating is it gives you the opportunity to evaluate a person’s performance. When you give a team member responsibility, their approach and results will speak volumes about what kind of work ethic he or she has and what he or she believes are acceptable standards. In addition to evaluation, delegating gives you the ability to learn which of your team members are best suited for certain tasks. All of these things are great about delegating — if you are sincere. However, there is a real difference between delegating and demanding.

Demanding does the opposite of delegating. It stifles creativity, decreases productivity, and poisons the workplace. It also drives a wedge between you and your employees, as well as creates tensions among your team members. Demanding doesn’t give you a true chance to evaluate, either, because it puts unnecessary pressure on people. Here are some signs that you’re demanding and not delegating:

You rationalize unrealistic expectations. When you demand, you know it to be the case, as does the other person. This creates a need to rationalize unrealistic expectations, not only to the other person, but to yourself. In the end, no one is fooled, but, it gives you at least a pretense of having reason to demand.
Your employees mislead or lie to you. If you get the feeling or learn that an employee is misleading or lying to you, there’s definitely a reason. Before jumping to conclusions, you should look back and think about the overall situation. For instance, if you interrogate an employee who wants time off, you’re creating an atmosphere where there’s little choice and lying becomes the only viable option.
You create emergency situations. We all know that unexpected things crop-up from time to time, but, if you’re turning every surprise into an emergency, you’ll feel an undue urgency and that can easily lead to demanding.
You justify your actions as legitimate and/or legal. If you ever have to ask if something is legal just to get it done, that’s troubling. You shouldn’t have to walk such a fine line because if you are, chances are excellent that even if it is legal, it’s not entirely ethical.
You don’t want to deal with this or that. Delegating is done because it puts the best talent where it is most needed. Demanding comes from a need to get something done, particularly a task that you don’t want to deal with personally.

Another sign that you’re demanding rather than delegating is your willingness to take credit or give credit to the person who deserves it. If you are taking credit of the work of others and not giving credit where it is due, that’s unethical and will undermine your entire organization.

In summary, your employees are your greatest appreciable asset. Invest in them through servant style leadership by delegating with clear expectations and the kind of results you are looking for … then ask; “what can I do to help you succeed with this responsibility or project?”

Want to find out about what a business coach can do for you?

[shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

Like this article?

How to Deal with an Employee with Limited Work Capacity

January 6, 2021 No Comments

Having a good employee who is restricted in their capabilities can be a very challenging situation. This is especially true if he or she is a valued team member, but can’t put in the hours due to certain limitations. Whether it’s a preexisting condition, and injury suffered on or off the job, you obviously have moral, ethical, and legal responsibilities to him or her. However, this doesn’t mean that they are completely protected from being terminated or having their role and/or responsibilities changed. Although this article isn’t specifically about legal ramifications, it will give you some effective tools on how to deal with this particular set of circumstances. Read on to learn more about how to deal with an employee who has limited capacity. Every Situation is Different Limited capacity can mean the number of things, including an inability to perform certain physical tasks, and other situations. But, most often it is due to a physical limitation which prevents him or her from fulfilling one or more of their responsibilities. These can range widely, from an inability to lift certain amounts, to not being able to sit for a protracted period of time. An ever persistent problem facing employers is what to do with the employee who is chronically sick or has a serious health problem. Besides the obvious issues it presents to the employer- additional strain on other employees to pick up the slack; inability to properly staff and manage work loads; basic coverage concerns- there are also potential state and federal legal ramifications if the absences are not handled and documented correctly. —HNI Risk Services Whatever the case may be, It is up to you to be as accommodating as possible, without fully compromising your company’s position. In other words, it’s best to strike a balance and find a happy medium where you can accommodate their needs while also allowing them to fulfill most or all of their work responsibilities. 3 Key Ways to Deal with an Employee with a Limited Work Capacity There’s no hard-and-fast set of rules for coping with an employee who can only work in a limited capacity. After all, no two sets of circumstances are exactly the same. But, there are some general parameters you should observe. Here are three good ways to deal with a team member who is limited in their work capacity: Gain a real understanding of the circumstances. Whether it’s a back problem, issues with a disease, or anything else, you need to have a very clear idea of what’s going on with your employee. Understand precisely what his or her limitations are and aren’t. This way, you’ll have enough information to make good decisions when it comes to his or her role and responsibilities. Make strategic concessions where necessary. Even your best employee can suffer from very unfortunate sets of circumstances and still be able to contribute to your company in a number of ways. Though it’s difficult to comprehend or even accept, it could be a detriment to your business (that is, if you insist on keeping everything the same). So, think outside the box and make strategic changes so he or she can continue to be a productive asset for your company. Realistically reassess the situation periodically. Sometimes, this can be a long-lasting situation that can go on for years. Or, it could only last for several months. Regardless, you need to take the time to reassess the situation every now and again. What other suggestions do you have? Please take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your unique perspective; it’s greatly appreciated! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

What to Do When You Lose Your Biggest Client

July 29, 2021 No Comments

Losing any client is a blow to any business owner. But, it’s particularly troubling when it’s the largest paying customer your company has a working relationship with (or had at one time). While it’s disturbing for any size client to stop doing business, it’s an absolute crisis when it’s the single largest one. Or is it? The answer really depends on how you handle the situation. So, read on to learn more about how to deal with losing your largest client. Seize the Opportunity Entrepreneurs are usually able to identify opportunity when it presents itself. But, in cases where there’s a tentative failure or bad fortune, it can be very difficult to see it and act upon the moment. Sure, it’s a setback and this makes it quite hard to get past the shock. However, the sooner you spring into action, the better. (Though don’t mistake this for making rash, uninformed decisions.) Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a small mom-and-pop business, losing a massive client is always shocking, uneasy and frustrating. Unfortunately, it’s something that almost every entrepreneur experiences at some point in time. —Forbes.com Instead, take a step back and give yourself time to form a generalized overview, one that’s not out of panic and fear. After all, it’s far better to take an honest assessment and determine precisely where you stand in order to determine exactly what actions are necessary in the short-term. This way, you’ll make informed decisions that are based on reality and not trepidation, anxiety, and alarm. 3 Ways to Deal with Losing Your Biggest Client Losing a big-time client is a real reason for concern. However, it’s also not an excuse to give up and close your doors for good. There are more than a few things you can do to prevent significant damage and/or start building new streams of revenue. Here are three of the most effective strategies you can use after losing your biggest client: Expand existing business relationships. The easiest way to make up for the difference is to leverage your existing business relationships. After all, current customers are the easiest ones to deal with and the most obvious place to double down. Since you have an existing relationship, you can offer more products and/or services to them and that will get you through in the short term. Take the opportunity to expand offerings. This is also a prime time for expanding what you offer to the public. This is a great opportunity to expand your business by focusing on your most popular selling items, whatever these are now and in the near future. Prevent the same situation from happening again. Of course, you probably don’t want to go through the same ugliness again at any time in the future. So, make sure to develop strategies that prevent this type of loss from happening again and you’ll gain a better sense of security. What other suggestions do you have that might be of help? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting so others can benefit from your perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Don’t Dare Make these Startup Customer Service Mistakes

May 5, 2017 No Comments

Your business is really your customers’ and when you stop to think about that, it puts things in perspective. You need paying customers to stay in business and when you pay them respect, you invest in your company’s future. We’ve all dealt with bad customer service and have shared horrific stories about our experiences. In fact, studies show that customers who are satisfied with a company will share their enthusiasm with two to three people. However, dissatisfied customers will share their negative experiences with eight to ten people, even as many as twenty. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, but too many business owners focus on the bottom line in ways other than customer service. They think about how to increase exposure, new opportunities, upping sales figures, and the like. It’s usually only when a problem arises, brought to attention by a particular person, that customer service is put front-and-center. By then, it could well be too late and that shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Costly Startup Customer Service Mistakes Whether you’re building your book of business or have several clients, you need to make customer service a top priority, and, one that is ingrained into everyday practice. Being proactive is essential to success in pleasing your customers, and, they will assuredly take notice. After all, we as consumers continue to patronize the same places where we are made to feel important, even if the product or service isn’t necessarily the best of the best. No matter how great your company’s product or service is, if your customer service skills are lacking, it won’t make much difference. This is especially true in today’s economy, as struggling business owners need every possible advantage over their competition. Unfortunately, far too many business owners make the same customer service mistakes over and over again, sending their customers into the arms of their competitors. —All Business.com That’s how important good customer service really is, it removes or displaces many objections, and, can be the single most powerful thing that beats out your competition. You ought to take advantage of anything and everything you can and this area is where your company can excel. What you shouldn’t do is to make one of these startup customer service mistakes: Not responding in a timely manner. Forgo those auto email replies because they deliver a message that you don’t want to send: you’re too busy to be bothered to personally respond. A simple reply shows there’s someone who cares and values the sender as a business partner. Taking on projects that aren’t within your core competency. When startups take on everything that’s asked of them, even things which aren’t part of their core competencies, they make a huge mistake. The results are highly likely to be disappointing and that can mean losing future business. Limiting your connections to your customers. Complicated phone trees and canned online forms only serve as a frustration point for your customers and send a message that you don’t want direct contact. Be willing and open to connect with your customers and they’ll feel important. You don’t follow-up with past and present customers. It’s absolutely imperative that you check-in and follow-up with past and present customers. It lets them know you value them and is a great way to build-up your networking skills. Not having a set customer service protocol. Everyone in your organization should be in-the-know about customer service protocol and follow it when needed. If you don’t establish a set of practices, you’re leaving too much to chance. Two other big no-nos are being too accommodating and being too defensive of constructive criticism. Taking on everything that’s requested to look bigger than you are is a one-way ticket to mediocrity, or even to failure. While not being able to accept and learn from constructive criticism will make you appear obtuse and/or egotistical. Be grateful for your customers and show it and that alone will do wonders. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]