Empowering

All leaders know how important delegation is. We have many tasks and activities that someone else on the team should be doing. Here is the challenge: when we get overloaded, the temptation is to just "get this off my to-do list." Care must be taken to ensure we are not pushing our work to someone else. That is not delegation. When delegating, we must be confident that the other person can execute the task effectively. Below are some questions to consider before delegating. Do they have time? Do they need help prioritizing? Have they expressed interest in the task or project? Do they have the necessary skills to execute? Do they typically meet deadlines? If others are involved, do they [...]

Recognizing a job well done or an "over the top" achievement is always welcomed by your people. Research has shown that praise and recognition are as important and, in some instances, more important than money. For example, if you received a note written to you from your boss, you have likely kept that the longest in your drawer; in fact, you may still have it. Why is that? Because praise works for everyone, there is no such thing as too much praise (as long as it's sincere). I have learned that regardless of individual preferences, virtually all employees want to hear what great work they have done. By the way, they wouldn't mind hearing it over again. It's like a sweet [...]