Are You Holding Up A Quality Act?

In our training programs we regularly see people squirm when we talk about delegation. As John Maxwell says, "Most of us are either clingers or dumpers when it comes to delegation. We either hold onto everything or just dump the entire task in someone's lap." There are a number of reasons we don't delegate well, but I'll save that for a blog for another day. What we can agree on is that our unwillingness to delegate things to other people often limits our ability to get to what is most important at work.

Brett Martin and Thanos Papadimitriou have a helpful blog entitled, Are You The Bottleneck In Your Organization? Among their most important tips are:

Push decision making down. If you're making all the decisions, you're only holding your company back. Push decision making down to the lowest level possible.

Accept that mistakes will happen. Sharing responsibility with others means things don't always go according to plan. Prepare your employees to avoid mistakes by being clear about your expectations and giving them the tools they need to do their jobs well.

Build your bench. Making yourself comfortable with giving up control requires having people you believe in. Invest both your time and resources to develop your star employees.

Martin Luther Must Have Read Juggling Elephants

Now that I have your attention-yes, I realize Martin Luther lived many centuries ago. However, even then he knew the importance of balancing rewards and feedback. While his focus in the following quote was on child rearing (and remember, this is his perspective), the same principle applies-we must not always be telling people what they are doing wrong... we must just as passionately encourage them when they do something right.

Spare the rod and spoil the child-that is true. But, beside the rod, keep an apple to give him when he has done well.

-Martin Luther

Annoying Phrases Used By A Ringmaster

A few months ago in our monthly newsletter we highlighted the annoying phrases used by a ringmaster. On Friday, October 23, USA Today had a "Snapshot" survey in which they asked, Which of these is most annoying in conversation? The phrases (and the percentage responding "yes"to the phrase) were:

• "Whatever" (47%)


• "You Know" (25%)


• "It is what it is" (11%)


• "Anyway" (7%)


• "At the end of the day" (2%)

How many of these have you already used today?

A Round "To It"

Have you ever delegated a task to someone only to have them say (verbally or non-verbally), "I will do it, when I get around to it?" Or, has it been awhile since you gave an assignment and it still hasn't been completed? Here is a solution. Create a sheet of round stickers that have the words, “To IT” in the middle of the circle. Next time they say, "…when I get around to it," hand them a sticker and say, "Here is a 'Round To IT,' now will you get it done?"

OK, that might be a bad idea. You might end up with the sticker on YOUR forehead, because you can easily offend someone that has too many acts in their circus at the moment. The point is, when you delegate a task, it is important to set expectations and do some negotiating of when the task can and should be accomplished. Don't expect someone to guess when you expect something to be done. Let them know what type of priority it is and where it might fit in an already large list of demands. Remember, you are the ringmaster of the timeline. They are the ringmaster of the task.

Quote about Confidence

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

While I do meet many ringmasters who have a solid sense of passion and purpose, I also meet a significant number of people who are less than excited about the direction of their circus. It's frustrating because they have so much to offer their company, their family and others around them.

Sadly, the root cause is often a lack of confidence. They haven't had enough individuals in their circus clapping and cheering them on in their performance. They haven't been reminded of how important they are to an organization, family or community. They have allowed the perceptions and callousness of others to diminish their determination, purpose and success.

If you are one of those people, remember the words of Eleanor Roosevelt. If you know some individuals suffering with an inferiority complex, make this the day you encourage them and remind them how important they and their talents and skills are to you, your organization and in the circus of others.