Delegating and Supervising: Five Steps

The ability to delegate is one of the key result areas of management. Fortunately, it is a skill that can be learned with practice. Delegation is an art as well as a science. Effective delegation requires time, thought, and careful consideration. It is something that you must learn to do if you want to leverage yourself to the maximum.

Step One
The first step in delegation is to become perfectly clear about the results that you desire from the job. The greater clarity you have with regard to the results expected, the easier it is for you to select the right person to do the job.

Step Two
The second step is to select a person based on his or her demonstrated ability or success at doing this job. Never delegate an important job to a person who has never done it before. If the successful completion of the task is important to the success of your business, it is essential that you delegate it to someone who you confidently believe can complete the task satisfactorily.

Step Three
Third, explain to the person exactly what you want done, the results that you expect, the time schedule that you require, and your preferred method of working. The reason that you are in a position to delegate a task is because you have probably already mastered this task. Taking the time to teach and explain the best way to do the task based on your experience is an excellent way to ensure that the task will be done as you wish and on schedule.

Step Four
Step four is to set up a schedule for reporting on progress. If it is an important task, set up a deadline for completion that is a day or a week before your actual deadline. Always build some slack into the system. Then, check on the progress of the task regularly, very much like a doctor would check on the condition of a critical care patient. Leave nothing to chance.

Step Five
Step five, inspect what you expect. Delegation is not abdication. Just because you have assigned a task to another person does not mean that you are no longer accountable. And the more important the task, the more important it is that you keep on top of it.

Action Exercise
What task can you effectively delegate to someone else? Which one of your employees can handle the task efficiently?

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*By Brian Tracy

Build a Personal Brand

20 things to consider about building a Personal Brand

You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else – Tom Peters

Managing your brand as an asset requires an ongoing commitment to ensure that every action and impression is consistent with the way you define your brand. It also requires a commitment to being visible and adding value to both your target audience and your network.

1. Know where you are going in both life and career, work on your Vision and Goals that will set you a clear path and focus
2. Identify and understand your strengths and how these can be used to your benefit in differentiating yourself in the job market and in your career.
3. Seek the feedback and input of others, how is your brand perceived by others, is there consistency across all groups and where do you need to do more to raise your brand profile.
4. Know your target audience from an industry standpoint but also from an individual – who do you need to talk to and influence and where are those people likely to gather.
5. Understand who else and what else might be competing for the same job or promotion. Know what is similar about them and also identify why you are different, how you can positively stand out.
6. Ensure that your resume includes a value statement and that in reading it becomes obvious what you are worth to an employer
7. Develop a longer personal brand statement that can be used in various situations and opportunities – one for 15 seconds, one for 45 seconds and one that can be used in written communications and on profiles.
8. Have a brand identity – project the right, consistent image both physically but also in terms of font, colour, business cards, thank you notes, voicemail messages etc.
9. Understand how you can best communicate your message, what is relevant for your target audience but also how and what do you feel comfortable in delivering.
10. Decide on the key content themes for all communication exercises; provide a strong and consistent message in a few avenues versus the scatter gun approach.
11. Be clear about who you are, what you offer and why you are different – know what is on brand and off brand for you and concentrate on the on brand actions.
12. Don’t get involved in actions that can dilute your brand, be consistent with your approach and message.
13. Be sure to be in front of your audience constantly, it takes 7 touches or exposures to catch someone’s attention, be sure that continue to be front of mind for your target audience.
14. Never miss an opportunity to connect your brand to the last experience. After a meeting send a thank you that is on brand, meet people in places that are on brand for you.
15. Identify all of the possible things to include in your brand environment and make a plan to get them all on brand. Aligning your environment with your brand will make you more confident and more memorable.
16. Continually nurture and develop your network, your professional contacts are an extension of your brand and may well be your greatest brand ambassadors – treat them that way.
17. Your brand is never stagnant it is always evolving, be on top of its development and refinement – never miss an opportunity to be more on brand.
18. Build your on line brand with passion. Look to place intelligent and valuable comments in on line forums, on blogs, at book reviews – each one becomes a new page on the web and raises your on line profile.
19. Understand that building a brand is not just for now, its something that can be continuous for the rest of your life – it needs to be part of your daily routine, a little brand building every day will ensure a healthy brand.
20. Review and measure your brand strength annually – conduct a brand audit and compare the state of your brand now to where it was 12 months ago.

Source: http://www.kellyservices.com.
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