Delegation Ladder
How to liberate the people potential in your business by unleashing the power of initiative…
Engaging Tweets
Because you are busy running your business, shouldn’t you be busy delegating?
Wouldn’t it be great if your people could do a better job than you?
Unleash the power of initiative in your business…
Make your team your greatest asset when it comes to getting a job done well…
What happens when you delegate the work you do to your team?
Stop doing everything in your business yourself and learn to embrace delegation…
Delegation – something you talk about or something you do?
Your business will be more successful when you learn to delegate more.
Now is the time to get your team to show more initiative
When you encourage your team to use their initiative your business will be more successful
Improve the confidence of your team and the success of your business by delegating more
Start looking for delegation opportunities in your business
What can your business learn about the art of delegation from a simple story about coffee and pastries?
Give your team the confidence to be able to use their initiative – like this simple story about coffee…
Encourage your team to use their initiative – the results will surprise you…
How to encourage your team, using a simple example of delivering coffee by using your initiative…
Stop thinking that you have to do everything yourself and encourage your team to use their initiative
Your team can use their initiative, all you have to do it make it a positive thing in your business
Because smarter delegation results in a greater performance for your business
How your team use their initiative could make or break the future of your business
When you encourage initiative, you encourage growth
High initiative businesses get more from their people
Where would FedEx be now without the initiative of one of its team
Time to take initiative seriously in your business, just like FedEx did…
Why risk the future of your business by not following FedEx’s example and encouraging initiative in your team…?
Initiative works – take the example of FedEx and the wedding dress?
Delegation and Initiative go hand in hand in your business
Use the delegation ladder to encourage your team to use their initiative
Build confidence within your team by sending them up the delegation ladder
Small steps to your business success start with your team stepping onto the delegation ladder
Make the delegation ladder part of your teams’ interaction and the results will speak for themselves
What happens to the performance of your business when you use the delegation ladder daily?
Delegation and Initiative – use both in your business and they will have a profound effect on your results
Why risk the future of your business success by not using the delegation ladder in your teams’ discussions?
Initiative is a risky business – but can you afford not to encourage it in your business…
Don’t be afraid of mistakes – they will make your business more successful…
Learn the million-dollar mistake that made IBM the success it is today…
Delegation Ladder or Initiative Ladder – your business needs both
If your team are making mistakes do you view this as a business win?
If you don’t make mistakes, then you aren’t doing anything…
What happens when a million dollars is lost through using your initiative?
Mistakes are good, if you are taking initiative seriously in your business
BEWARE: Initiative is a risky business
Delegation and Initiative in your business – not for the fainted hearted…
Why risk the future of your business – use the delegation ladder and have more time to do the things that matter
When you delegate well you can focus on making a success of your business
Deploy the delegation ladder in your business and employ a new level of trust in your team
BE BRAVE – take the first step on the delegation ladder to success
Remember – one person cannot do everything – make your business succeed by using and testing the delegation ladder
Increase the confidence of your team by using the delegation ladder habitually within your business
When reinforcing something in your business a picture paints 1000 words…
Delegation is critical to the success of your business.
LinkedIn Updates
1. Delegation – something that nearly every manager or business owner talks about doing, but rarely does well. How many times have you said to yourself or one of your team ‘I need to delegate this task’ or ‘I shouldn’t be doing this really, someone else should’?
Yet, you end up doing it – every single time. Click here to master the art of delegation.
2. You may often feel reluctant to delegate, thinking you must do everything yourself if you want it done right…this common mindset is holding your business back.
Wouldn’t you feel reassured to see your people take more responsibility for results and make your business less reliant on you? Click here to make this a reality not a dream…
3. Initiative - the power and ability to follow the task through energetically and show enterprise and determination in performing the task. Most businesses would benefit from unleashing more initiative.
Click here to learn that smarter delegation of work and jobs within your business results in greater initiative.
4. When you encourage more initiative from your team it gives your team confidence - they may surprise you! Click here to read a great story about how a simple act of initiative within a team can change the course of a day.
5. You love it when a team member uses their initiative – every manager loves employees with initiative!
When one of your team uses their initiative it generally means they have done what needs to be done without having to be asked, even if it is not their job. Click here to learn the shot in the arm it can give your business when your team uses their initiative.
6. Businesses encouraging initiative in their team will get more from all their people – with surprising results…
Click here to learn how FedEx saved the wedding and their business when one of their team used their initiative in a remarkable way.
7. Have you ever got frustrated because you gave a simple job to one of your team and wished you’d done it yourself?
It’s a simple fact that one person can’t do everything. Trying to accomplish or micromanage too many tasks leads to burnout, poor quality and missed deadlines, not to mention time management problems.
Click here to learn that delegation is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of leadership.
8. As the leader of your business or the manager of a department you must create an environment where you are delegating, and your team are using their initiative habitually.
Click here to encourage more initiative from your people by applying the delegation ladder to your team interaction.
9. Which do you use in your business? The Delegation ladder or the Initiative ladder?
Is the answer both?
If the answer is neither then you need to read on because the future of your business depends on it! Click here to learn more…
10. Initiative is risky – you are asking people to make their own decisions and take actions with less involvement from you.
So how do you react if they make a mistake?
The greater the initiative, the greater the chance for errors to occur – we are human after all.
Click here to learn about Tom Watson, the founder of IBM and his reaction to mistakes.
11. How often do you delegate tasks in your business and what are they?
Are they the mundane tasks that you just cannot be bothered to do?
Or are they important tasks that are of actual benefit to the company and that actually free up your time?
Click here to learn that the when you delegate the right tasks to the right people you have more time to spend on growing your business.
12. Your ultimate aim is to get your people doing work brilliantly, achieving the expected results and only getting you involved when they routinely report their results. When this happens your delegation skills and their initiative is at the top of the ladder. Click here to learn the 5 levels to the ladder and how to use them in your business.
13. You can’t take on more responsibility and more jobs unless you are willing to delegate to others. But that doesn’t mean it is always easy. The objective of delegation is to get a task done by someone else to save you time. As a manager or business owner it is also your responsibility to grow and encourage the capabilities of those within your team. Click here to learn the success your business will become when you embrace the delegation ladder.
14. Using and understanding the delegation ladder is key to achieving the right kind of delegation and initiative culture within your business.
Click here to learn 4 helping hands that you can put to work in your business. When you do you’ll improve the level of initiative of your people and improve your business performance too.
Facebook Posts
1. Delegation – something that nearly every manager or business owner talks about doing, but rarely does well. How many times have you said to yourself or one of your team ‘I need to delegate this task’ or ‘I shouldn’t be doing this really, someone else should’?
Yet, you end up doing it – every single time. Click here to master the art of delegation.
2. You may often feel reluctant to delegate, thinking you must do everything yourself if you want it done right…this common mindset is holding your business back.
Wouldn’t you feel reassured to see your people take more responsibility for results and make your business less reliant on you? Click here to make this a reality not a dream…
3. Initiative - the power and ability to follow the task through energetically and show enterprise and determination in performing the task. Most businesses would benefit from unleashing more initiative.
Click here to learn that smarter delegation of work and jobs within your business results in greater initiative.
4. When you encourage more initiative from your team it gives your team confidence - they may surprise you! Click here to read a great story about how a simple act of initiative within a team can change the course of a day.
5. You love it when a team member uses their initiative – every manager loves employees with initiative!
When one of your team uses their initiative it generally means they have done what needs to be done without having to be asked, even if it is not their job. Click here to learn the shot in the arm it can give your business when your team uses their initiative.
6. Businesses encouraging initiative in their team will get more from all their people – with surprising results…
Click here to learn how FedEx saved the wedding and their business when one of their team used their initiative in a remarkable way.
7. Have you ever got frustrated because you gave a simple job to one of your team and wished you’d done it yourself?
It’s a simple fact that one person can’t do everything. Trying to accomplish or micromanage too many tasks leads to burnout, poor quality and missed deadlines, not to mention time management problems.
Click here to learn that delegation is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of leadership.
8. As the leader of your business or the manager of a department you must create an environment where you are delegating, and your team are using their initiative habitually.
Click here to encourage more initiative from your people by applying the delegation ladder to your team interaction.
9. Which do you use in your business? The Delegation ladder or the Initiative ladder?
Is the answer both?
If the answer is neither then you need to read on because the future of your business depends on it! Click here to learn more…
10. Initiative is risky – you are asking people to make their own decisions and take actions with less involvement from you.
So how do you react if they make a mistake?
The greater the initiative, the greater the chance for errors to occur – we are human after all.
Click here to learn about Tom Watson, the founder of IBM and his reaction to mistakes.
11. How often do you delegate tasks in your business and what are they?
Are they the mundane tasks that you just cannot be bothered to do?
Or are they important tasks that are of actual benefit to the company and that actually free up your time?
Click here to learn that the when you delegate the right tasks to the right people you have more time to spend on growing your business.
12. Your ultimate aim is to get your people doing work brilliantly, achieving the expected results and only getting you involved when they routinely report their results. When this happens your delegation skills and their initiative is at the top of the ladder. Click here to learn the 5 levels to the ladder and how to use them in your business.
13. You can’t take on more responsibility and more jobs unless you are willing to delegate to others. But that doesn’t mean it is always easy. The objective of delegation is to get a task done by someone else to save you time. As a manager or business owner it is also your responsibility to grow and encourage the capabilities of those within your team. Click here to learn the success your business will become when you embrace the delegation ladder.
14. Using and understanding the delegation ladder is key to achieving the right kind of delegation and initiative culture within your business.
Click here to learn 4 helping hands that you can put to work in your business. When you do you’ll improve the level of initiative of your people and improve your business performance too.
Blog Posts
BLOG 1 – Tricks for successful delegation in your business
Delegation – something that nearly every manager or business owner talks about doing, but rarely does well.
How many times have you said to yourself or one of your team ‘I need to delegate this task’ or ‘I shouldn’t be doing this really, someone else should’?
Yet, you end up doing it – every single time.
Why?
Because there is a part of you that believes that no-one can do this task as well as you can, or you think it’s quicker to do it yourself than show someone else.
However, wouldn’t it be great if you could get your people to do a better job than you could do yourself?
You may often feel reluctant to delegate, thinking you must do everything yourself if you want it done right…this common mindset is holding your business back.
Wouldn’t you feel reassured to see your people take more responsibility for results and make your business less reliant on you?
It’s a simple fact that one person can’t do everything…so, bite the bullet, take the risk, and share the load.
Click here to learn some delegation tricks so that you can focusing on the ‘bigger picture’ activities that really matter to make your business a success.
BLOG 2 - Encourage initiative in your team to drive success in your business
Initiative - the power and ability to follow the task through energetically and show enterprise and determination in performing the task.
Good stuff don’t you think?
Power and ability
Follow through energetically
Enterprise and determination
Would your business be more successful, more profitable and more exciting to work in if these three things showed up in more of your people, more of the time?
Of course it would…
Most businesses would benefit from unleashing more initiative.
Smarter delegation of work and jobs within your business results in greater initiative.
Greater initiative results in your people performing at a higher level
Your people performing at a higher level frees your time up to focus on other more important tasks.
When you encourage more initiative from your team it gives your team confidence - they may surprise you!
Here is a great story about how a simple act of initiative within a team can change the course of a day:
At a recent training event held in a hotel, the tea, coffee and pastries failed to show up when scheduled at 9.30am.
The event was due to start at 10am and some of the delegates had had early starts and long journeys to get there on time.
They had not only earned the right to have a hot drink and snack, they needed it, so that they could be at there most attentive during the rest of the day.
One team member asked the hotel staff twice to sort the coffee – nothing happened. Delegates were thirsty and frustrated.
The speaker was also concerned as the audience were not in a receptive frame of mind.
So, at 9.50am another team member used her initiative…
She charmed the staff at a concession coffee shop within the hotel to come and take orders for ‘posh’ coffee and snacks from the delegates.
The delegates all responded positively and although the event ended up starting a little late, the delegates were impressed, satisfied and in the right frame of mind too…
This team member used her initiative – with great results…
It was a simple act – solving an immediate issue and allowing the day to move forward successfully…
How often do you encourage this kind of behaviour in your team?
How many of your team do you think would do this?
Click here to learn how you can encourage your team to actively use their initiative, boost their confidence and drive the success of your business
BLOG 3 – Get more from your people by encouraging initiative in your business
You love it when a team member uses their initiative – every manager loves employees with initiative!
When one of your team uses their initiative it generally means they have done what needs to be done without having to be asked, even if it is not their job.
For example, they may not be the receptionist, but if the phone was ringing they would answer the call and either transfer the call to the right person, take a message, or even better (if they can) deal with the issue.
This is them using their initiative!
Businesses encouraging initiative in their team will get more from all their people – with surprising results…
For example, where would Fred Smith be without a wedding dress and a large slice of initiative?
In the beginning of FedEx, the now international parcel courier, one employee responded to a delayed wedding dress with great initiative.
She organised and paid for a private jet to fly the wedding dress across the USA and land at a local airfield, in time for the wedding.
Naturally the bride (and groom) were delighted that their wedding could go ahead and in fact the ‘rescue mission’ was the talk of the wedding.
This talk resulted in FedEx winning a substantial parcel contract from one of the wedding guests, (a senior executive and a high-user of parcel services), so impressed was he at the service shown by FedEx.
It is reported that without this contract Fred Smith, the FedEx founder would have run out of money. No wedding dress, no initiative, no FedEx.
This one act of initiative by one member of the FedEx team had a profound effect on their business results and helped make them the success they are today.
Initiative can have the same effect on your business.
Initiative when encouraged in your team can transform your success, your profits and your growth.
Click here to learn how to liberate the people potential in your business by unleashing the power of initiative.
BLOG 4 – Ascend the delegation ladder with your team and watch your business grow…
Have you ever got frustrated because you gave a simple job to one of your team and wished you’d done it yourself?
It’s a simple fact that one person can’t do everything. Trying to accomplish or micromanage too many tasks leads to burnout, poor quality and missed deadlines, not to mention time management problems.
Delegation is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of leadership.
As the leader of your business or the manager of a department you must create an environment where you are delegating, and your team are using their initiative habitually.
Encourage more initiative from your people by applying the delegation ladder to your team interaction.
The delegation ladder gives you 5 steps (levels) for generating greater initiative and greater results from your team, and eventually frees you up from doing it all yourself.
Initiative can be learned. Just like you can learn to drive a car, ride a bike or learn another language, initiative can be learned too, but only when you, as the leader create a culture where initiative is encouraged.
In his book Principle Centred Leadership Stephen R Covey suggests that there are 5 levels of initiative.
Click here to learn about the 5 steps (levels) of the delegation ladder that can help deliver the performance you seek from your people
BLOG 5 – Initiative is a risky business – how do you react to mistakes?
Which do you use in your business? The Delegation ladder or the Initiative ladder?
Is the answer both?
If the answer is neither then you need to read on…
Because the future of your business depends on it!
Only if you change your behaviour (the way you delegate work) will you increase the initiative from your people.
Few managers and business owners communicate what level of initiative they expect from their team.
When was the last time you delegated a task or asked someone to do something how they thought it should be done?
What was the result?
Initiative is risky – you are asking people to make their own decisions and take actions with less involvement from you.
So how do you react if they make a mistake?
The greater the initiative, the greater the chance for errors to occur – we are human after all.
Here is a well-known story about Tom Watson, the founder of IBM and his reaction to mistakes.
In the 1960s one of his executive team made an error of judgement that cost IBM more than a million dollars in hard costs.
The executive took a deep breath and checked she had her resignation letter before walking into Tom Watson’s office.
Toms reported response to the executive’s expectation of being asked to leave was:
“Why should I ask you to leave when I’ve just invested one million dollars in your education? Go and share your experience and new-found insights across the business so we never make the same mistake again”
When you view mistakes, like Tom did, as learning opportunities, you support your people’s increasing initiative and believe me, one of your team will never learn more than when they mess up!
Click here to discover how your attitude and response to mistakes ultimately determines the level of initiative your team are willing to demonstrate.
BLOG 6 – 5 simple steps on a delegation ladder to ensure your business succeeds
How often do you delegate tasks in your business and what are they?
Are they the mundane tasks that you just cannot be bothered to do?
Or…
Are they important tasks that are of actual benefit to the company and that actually free up your time?
Chances are whatever your level of delegation and whatever your team’s level of initiative, you could all be doing it more, you could all be doing it better and your business could be more productive as a result.
Sharing the delegation/initiative ladder with your team lets them know your expectations.
Your ultimate aim is to get your people doing work brilliantly, achieving the expected results and only getting you involved when they routinely report their results.
When this happens your delegation skills and their initiative is at the top of the ladder:
Here are the 5 levels of the ladder and how to use them in your business:
LEVEL 1 – Wait til told what to do
Be clear about the job you want doing, with simple, easy to follow instructions. Maybe show them how to do it first and then watch them perform the task. Follow up by asking them questions.
It should not be long before they move onto level 2 and it should be a concern to you if they don’t.
LEVEL 2 – Ask good questions
Ask good questions and encourage questions – create an expectation for questions so that people don’t wait forever to be told what to do. Recognise and praise good work.
LEVEL 3 – Recommend
Instead of questions – ask for thoughts, suggestions, recommendations from your team. Encourage your team to think for themselves. When you are routinely hearing well-measured and well-judged suggestions then they are ready to move up to the next level.
LEVEL 4 – Do it and report instantly
Be available as soon as the job is done, see mistakes as learning opportunities, agree a process and time for reporting instantly and agree a time line for reporting routinely. When routine reporting is getting great results, they can move up to the next level.
LEVEL 5 – Do it routinely and report
This is the riskiest for you. You must be willing to let go. Set up routine reporting and feedback on the work done. This may be daily or weekly to begin with, depending on the job, but the time frame for reporting should be extended once they are comfortable in the role.
Remember your people are the ones who work, but you delegate the work.
Click here to learn how by sharing the delegation/initiative ladder with your team you are letting them know your expectations of them and encouraging them to be an active part in the future success of the business.
BLOG 7 – The key to great delegation and initiative in your business
You can’t take on more responsibility and more jobs unless you are willing to delegate to others. But that doesn’t mean it is always easy.
The objective of delegation is to get a task done by someone else to save you time. As a manager or business owner it is also your responsibility to grow and encourage the capabilities of those within your team.
Using and understanding the delegation ladder is key to achieving the right kind of delegation and initiative culture within your business.
Here are 4 helping hands for you, put them to work in your business and you’ll improve the level of initiative of your people and improve your business performance too:
1) Share your initiative expectations each time you request work to be done using the delegation/initiative ladder.
Whenever work is delegated to a team member, the ladder should always be used, it will increase the confidence of your team and help them feel like they have the right support.
2) Teach the delegation ladder to your people so it becomes a regular, habitual conversation in your business.
Making something a habit is harder than you think, especially if you encounter resistance, but when you can prove to your team that the delegation ladder works they will see its value.
3) Have framed delegation ladder pictures or posters up in the office and encourage its use.
If a member of your team asks you a question that you think they should know the answer too, just point to the poster and say, ‘I don’t know, what would you do’. This will encourage them to come to you with a suggested solution rather than a question.
4) Acknowledge and recognise initiative when it is shown – catch your people doing it right.
Everyone loves to be praised for doing a good job, it’s a great thing to do and its even better to hear. Praise of their work and their initiative will only build confidence within the team.
You won’t know the delegation ladder works until you start to use it and when you do start to use it you’ll not be able to do without it!
Click here to how the delegation ladder is critical to the growth and profitability of your business.
Engaging E-mails
Monthly email to share the business breakthrough with your contacts
Subject: The Power of Delegation...
Preview text: Complimentary Business Breakthrough
Main email wording:
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your people to do a better job than you could do yourself? It doesn’t need to be so depressingly demoralising when your people get the job done, but only just.
Wouldn’t you feel reassured to see your people take more responsibility for results and make the business less reliant on you?
Here’s a Business Breakthrough you can start implementing today so you can get more from your people more often. You can then go do more valuable work or even enjoy more free time.
Click here to find out more!
In a nutshell
Smarter delegation of work and tasks results in greater initiative. Greater initiative results in improved performance from your people (and frees you up to do other things).
Encourage more initiative from your people by applying the delegation ladder to all your team interaction.
Here’s a proven solution for you…
The delegation ladder gives you five steps for generating greater initiative and greater results from your team. And eventually frees you up from ‘doing it all yourself’.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea or coffee you’ll have access to a proven way to encourage more initiative from your people by applying the delegation ladder to all your team interaction.
Email to go with Blog 1
Headline: Tricks for successful delegation in your business
Subheading: One person can’t do everything…
Main email wording:
It’s a fact – you cannot do everything in your business, and why do you employ people if you are not delegating tasks to them?
Delegation done well will see your people empowered and less reliant on you.
In this latest blog you’ll learn how, what and when to delegate and the benefits of this to your business.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.
Email to go with Blog 2
Headline: Encourage initiative in your team to drive success in your business
Subheading: Get smarter at delegation in your business
How often do you implement and encourage initiative in your business?
Greater initiative results in people performing at a higher level.
In this latest blog you’ll learn how a simple act of initiative from one team member resulted in a conference day going ahead successfully and how this kind of positive initiative can be applied to your business.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.
Email to go with Blog 3
Headline: Get more from your people by encouraging initiative in your business
Subheading: Encouraging initiative can have surprising results
Main email wording:
Isn’t it great when a member of your team uses their initiative?
If you don’t encourage your team to use their initiative, then you will end up doing everything yourself and your team and business will not move forwards.
In this latest blog you’ll learn a great story about FedEx, a wedding dress and what a large slice of initiative can do for your business.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.
Email to go with Blog 4
Headline: Ascend the delegation ladder with your team and watch your business grow…
Subheading: Lead your business by getting delegation right
Main email wording:
How often do you delegate tasks to your team?
Your business can suffer if you do not nurture a culture of delegation and initiative within your team.
In this latest blog you’ll discover the 5 steps of the delegation ladder you need to use to generate greater initiative and greater results from your team, allowing you to focus on growing your business success.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.
Email to go with Blog 5
Headline: Initiative is a risky business – how do you react to mistakes?
Subheading: Learn from IBM that mistakes are good…
Main email wording::
So how do you react when one of them makes a mistake?
In this latest blog you’ll learn that when you view mistakes as learning opportunities like IBM did then you determine the level of initiative your team are willing to demonstrate.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.
Email to go with Blog 6
Headline: 5 simple steps on a delegation ladder to ensure your business succeeds
Subheading : Delegate what matters…
Main email wording:
When it comes to delegating tasks in your business, do you delegate small trivial tasks or big tasks that actually free up some of your time.
The chances are whatever your current level of delegation you could be doing more.
In this latest blog you’ll learn the 5 levels of the delegation ladder and the benefit to your business when YOUR delegation skills and YOUR team’s initiative are at the top of the ladder.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.
Email to go with Blog 7
Headline: The key to great delegation and initiative in your business
Subheading: Climb the delegation ladder towards success
Main email wording:
If you don’t delegate responsibility and tasks to your team members then you will not be able to move your business forward.
In this latest blog you’ll learn what the delegation ladder is and how to implement the steps to delegation success within your business.
Go here to read the blog and download the Business Breakthrough ‘Delegation Ladder’.