We
all get to be the boss sometime in our life, whether it be with our
work, our school, in our homes or with our children. Being a leader has
it's challenges. There is a job that has to get done and you either
need help with it or you need someone else to complete the task. There
is a certain way the project needs to get done and usually a time frame
that has to be met. Knowing how to ask for that help and see that the
project gets carried out is a skill some people need a little help with.
#1:
Describe the job and the outcome that needs to be reached. For
example: "Today, we need to get this mailing out to all of our clients."
#2:
Specify who's responsible for meeting this goal: "I would appreciate
your help in spearheading this project and seeing that it gets completed
today. Can you please take care of this?"
#3: Describe the
steps that need to be completed so that the project is successful: "It's
important that we make enough copies of this memo so that all of our
clients receive it. We will need to put it on letterhead, prepare
labels and envelopes and tri-fold the memo so that it fits in the
envelope. Then, let's make sure that the correct postage gets applied
and that the mail is done before the carrier arrives at 4:00 pm."
#4:
Ask if there are any questions or concerns with accomplishing the
task: "Do you have any questions? Do you think that you will be able to
get this mailing out by 4:00 pm today?"
As the employee being
given the task, this would be the time for you to clarify the
instructions to make sure that you understand everything that is being
asked. Far too many times, employees feel intimidated and they proceed
with a project without fully understanding what needs to be done. This
leads to mistakes and delays in completing assignments.
#5: Make yourself available to the employee and check on their progress.
#6:
When you see that the job is completed, praise your employee: "I see
you got those memos out. Thank you so much for taking care of that, you
did a really good job. Those memos were really important."
The
steps above can be applied to any sort of delegation, whether it be
asking your kids to do a chore or working with groups for community
service. Following these steps will help make you an effective
delegator.
Yes, it's a dirty word, but some body's got to use it!
At eleven years old, I was ready to tackle the world and make some money. I had always liked to keep busy and found fun in doing chores (they always said there was something wrong with me). In addition to those naysayers, my family told me that I would have plenty of time to work when I was an adult. Of course, I did not listen.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work for my Grandfather, Doc. Doc was not a doctor, as you might think, but an owner of several, large, western-wear, clothing stores. My Grandpa had thousands of boots, hats, belts, jeans, you name it. If it was western, he sold it. The biggest store that he owned was in a very popular, local shopping mall named Valley West Mall (on a side note: this mall was torn down many years ago, but because it was loved by many, I started a Facebook group Fans of Valley West Mall and am proud to say that there are almost 1,200 people in this group, who now live all over the country).
This store being the biggest one of them all, and closest to my home, was where I began my working career. At eleven, I was given the very prestigious and important job of maintaining the appearance of the store. This included vacuuming what seemed like the entire length of a football field, cleaning mirrors, dusting, taking out the garbage and my least two favorites of cleaning the bathrooms and emptying the ashtrays. Although it seems like a lot of work for a little person, I did my job diligently. I even road my bike to and from work which was probably a three mile ride one-way.
My bike, aw, that was my freedom (but that's a whole other story).
Anyway, I made a decent salary and I got to go spend my earnings at the food court or at the video game arcade - so life was good.
As I got older, I begged for a promotion. I was given the task of working by the register processing credit card transactions during the busy holiday seasons. "What's the big deal about that?" you ask. "People run their own credit cards through the key pad - what did you have to do?" Well, my friend, in the mid 1980's there were no credit card machines. We had three-part, carbon copy credit card slips that needed to be filled out and then placed on a sliding imprint machine with the card. We ran the imprinter over the paper and "Walla!" the numbers were now on the slip. In addition, I got to call an 800 number with every transaction and enter information into the phone in hopes that the credit went through and I would be given an authorization code to complete the order. At 13, I was VERY IMPORTANT!
At 16, I was ready for bigger and better things. Although I really wanted to work behind the cash register and run all of the transactions and touch the money, I was only given a few opportunities to do so. Not because I did anything wrong but because I was just too young, I suppose! So, I was given the job of selling women's clothes. I had to bug people and ask if they wanted to spend their hard earned money on a $50 Panhandle Slim blouse or a $100 pair of Wranglers. I did not make a commission but at those prices, I sure wish I did. One part of my job was SUPER awesome. I got to work with a leather stamping machine and dye to personalize custom belt orders. Remember when people had their names on the back of their belts (Jim, Bob, Chuck). That was ME displaying my beautiful skills. And skills I needed, especially when working with someone's expensive $100+ belt they just purchased. If I messed up, I was sure to be in trouble.
My first job allowed me to learn a lot about a lot. It is also where I met the man who, 14 years later, became my ex-husband and the father to my 2 AWESOME kids.
What was your first job and what did you learn?
