Let’s find out if you are a delegator by completing and scoring the following exercise:
Exercise
Answer each statement with the corresponding number using this code:
1 = always
2 = sometimes
3 = never
_ I find that my employees consistently look for ways to relieve the pressure that top management faces — without being asked. I’m free to “think big” because my colleagues and employees handle all the daily operational
stuff.
As my company continues to grow rapidly, I’m totally comfortable letting go and putting
others in charge of pieces of my business — rather than clinging to control.
I prefer to spend 30 minutes training an employee to do a new task than just doing it myself
in five minutes.
I say to an employee “Let me show you how to do that” far more than I think to myself “If I
don’t do it, it won’t get done right.”
_ I look for opportunities to praise my managers for delegating to their workers.
Review your answers. If your total score is 6-8, then you’re an excellent delegator. This Business
Builder will reinforce much of what you’re already doing and introduce you to some new techniques.
If your score is 9-14, you’re on the road to becoming an effective delegator. But you need to raise your
awareness and make a more concerted effort to coach others to plug holes and take on more
responsibility.
For those who score over 14, you’re not alone. And you’re honest! Many entrepreneurs need to
confront the fact that they just can’t do it all, and that assigning jobs to others is a vital part of
building a business. Ask any legendary business builder — including our own Edward Lowe — to
identify a key to transforming a great idea into a thriving enterprise, and here’s the answer you’ll hear:
harness the drive, skills, and talents of every employee.
That’s where delegation comes in.
How to Delegate Effectively, An Edward Lowe In-depth Business Builder, Lawson Consulting Group
Inc., 2008.