It is scientific. Men and women are different.
I really did not need scientists to tell me that.
Whichever man is capable to see the small drop of water in the sink that is making your wife mad... please raise your hand.
I think it's a phisical difference in our eyes. Colours and small details are simply seen in different ways.
Look at that example...
Even though I know that, during the Christmas holidays I volunteered helping my "better half" cleaning our flat. In a nanosecond I had a vacuum cleaner in my right hand and a sponge in my left one.
And I promise, I did my best, THREE TIMES.
And the result was...
She had to redo everything simply because the result was not what she thought was the minimum acceptable...
Well, let us say that her minimum acceptable is like the Pope is coming for dinner that very day (not an unrealistic option with our beloved Pope!).
So what happened?
- She was upset (to say the least)
- We lost time
- I have a good excuse not to do it again (that is a strategy too)
- I have a new topic to discuss in my Blog. DELEGATION
In my continuous journey to the "recherche du temps perdu" or better searching for the wasted time rather than lost, this is one of the main topics.
And it is an ART.
Delegate means to have everybody doing what they should do so you can do what you are supposed to do.
I know, everybody would like to delegate BUT...
-it takes more time to explain than to do it yourself
-nobody can do it properly
-the others don't have time either
So we keep on doing things and complaining that we do not have time (and maybe the others work much less than what we do).
In reality I think that there are three main reasons why we tend not to delegate:
1) we do not have clear which are the activities we must do.
What happens if I give away some of my work and I realize I have nothing better to do? The key point is that people must free their time to do what they are good at and what is strategic for the company (or simply what they are paid for)
2) we think that by keeping the knowledge away from the others you will become "irreplaceable".
Sorry to say, guys, BUT normally we can be replaced by someone else. And if your company grows on someone that cannot be replaced you'd better find another company before this "genius" finds one. Maybe it's better to keep your job reaching the results thanks to your extremely professional team.
3) we cannot set a "minimum acceptable" performance for the other's job.
Clearly we must understand that the others WILL NOT DO THE JOB LIKE YOU. It does not mean they will not reach the target but the WAY in which they will reach the target will be different. And we must accept this once we set a "good minimum result".
If you really want the skills of your team to improve, to develop new leaders within the group and to have everybody feeling they are INTO THE GROUP then start delegating.
- Identify who can do the job and tell him why
- Show examples of previous jobs
- Be sure people understand the objectives and the deadlines
- Give everybody the tools to succeed (this is what we want!!!)
- Let people work (and make mistakes) and support ONLY if required
and at the end... CELEBRATE!
Hard task... probably another target we should reach in 2014.
From my side, I promise I will improve on house cleaning... I am not sure I will be able to see the small drop into the sink but I will do my best. It is scientific... men have different eyes.
Otherwise I will start with ballet dancing...
Still have some hope with some practice
Have a nice week end!
I really did not need scientists to tell me that.
Whichever man is capable to see the small drop of water in the sink that is making your wife mad... please raise your hand.
I think it's a phisical difference in our eyes. Colours and small details are simply seen in different ways.
Look at that example...
Even though I know that, during the Christmas holidays I volunteered helping my "better half" cleaning our flat. In a nanosecond I had a vacuum cleaner in my right hand and a sponge in my left one.
And I promise, I did my best, THREE TIMES.
And the result was...
She had to redo everything simply because the result was not what she thought was the minimum acceptable...
Well, let us say that her minimum acceptable is like the Pope is coming for dinner that very day (not an unrealistic option with our beloved Pope!).
So what happened?
- She was upset (to say the least)
- We lost time
- I have a good excuse not to do it again (that is a strategy too)
- I have a new topic to discuss in my Blog. DELEGATION
In my continuous journey to the "recherche du temps perdu" or better searching for the wasted time rather than lost, this is one of the main topics.
And it is an ART.
Delegate means to have everybody doing what they should do so you can do what you are supposed to do.
I know, everybody would like to delegate BUT...
-it takes more time to explain than to do it yourself
-nobody can do it properly
-the others don't have time either
So we keep on doing things and complaining that we do not have time (and maybe the others work much less than what we do).
In reality I think that there are three main reasons why we tend not to delegate:
1) we do not have clear which are the activities we must do.
What happens if I give away some of my work and I realize I have nothing better to do? The key point is that people must free their time to do what they are good at and what is strategic for the company (or simply what they are paid for)
2) we think that by keeping the knowledge away from the others you will become "irreplaceable".
Sorry to say, guys, BUT normally we can be replaced by someone else. And if your company grows on someone that cannot be replaced you'd better find another company before this "genius" finds one. Maybe it's better to keep your job reaching the results thanks to your extremely professional team.
3) we cannot set a "minimum acceptable" performance for the other's job.
Clearly we must understand that the others WILL NOT DO THE JOB LIKE YOU. It does not mean they will not reach the target but the WAY in which they will reach the target will be different. And we must accept this once we set a "good minimum result".
If you really want the skills of your team to improve, to develop new leaders within the group and to have everybody feeling they are INTO THE GROUP then start delegating.
- Identify who can do the job and tell him why
- Show examples of previous jobs
- Be sure people understand the objectives and the deadlines
- Give everybody the tools to succeed (this is what we want!!!)
- Let people work (and make mistakes) and support ONLY if required
and at the end... CELEBRATE!
Hard task... probably another target we should reach in 2014.
From my side, I promise I will improve on house cleaning... I am not sure I will be able to see the small drop into the sink but I will do my best. It is scientific... men have different eyes.
Otherwise I will start with ballet dancing...
Still have some hope with some practice
Have a nice week end!
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