Management Strategies

Below are strategies and things we’ve learned over time. Some we’ve learned through books and other info sources. Some we’ve learned through trial and error. We’ll try to add real life examples to all that we teach you here! Let’s jump in ⬇️

Delegation & Decisions

This section below is solely dedicated to delegation and making decisions!

DELEGATE

If you got moved up into a management position, there is clearly a reason why. You do things well. You may even be a bit of a perfectionist? This is good generally speaking. It is good up until the time that it becomes times to delegate out tasks. As managers we want to make sure everything is right! But we need to delegate out tasks to others to help us to leave us with more time for the work that only we as managers can do.

Example: To pick on the same young lead trainer for a second, on the same day that she was going to drive 90 minutes for a $10 box of dog treats she was also going to make by hand all of the goodie bags for the event that weekend. One of her trainers had plenty of time to make the bags for her, but because she wanted them to be done perfectly, she was hesitant to delegate out. But the problem with the Lead Trainer making the goodie bags was that this then ties up her time on a low skill task leaving her with less time to do only the work she can do as a manager.

What Should You Delegate? (Or automate)

Now that you know about delegating and why it’s important, what should you delegate? If it’s the daily tasks for your position and part of that is overseeing a team and making sure it was all done, then that probably should stick with you. BUT if it’s something that needs to be done and doesn’t require you to do it, then… pass it off to someone who is capable and has the time and resources to do it. If it’s something that is lower leverage and doesn’t require a particular skill, pass it off (the example above with the goodie bags).

*Make sure you use the Communication section to make sure you’re delegating properly though!

Why people DON’T delegate and what that does for your team: They want to make sure it’s done right. If they pass it off, they will mess it up. They are a ‘perfectionist’. You know the deal. If this is your mindset and you don’t delegate, you’ll be left with a list longer than you care to admit. Employees that want to help you but can’t because you don’t allow them to (& they will have free time you don’t have)! And worst of all, you take away their ability to make mistakes and get coaching on where they messed up. Your team can’t grow if they aren’t taught. Part of learning is making mistakes and learning from them so they don’t happen again. If you’re greedy with what needs to be done because you want to do it all, you want the credit, to make sure it’s done right, etc. you’re holding you back and your team back.

Making Your Job Easier Over Time

Do you like doing the same thing over and over again? What about when it’s avoidable? I didn’t think so. This section is dedicated to making your life as a leader easier over the course of time while also setting your team up for success.

Document the lessons you teach so you don’t do it over and over

As a leader your phone is going to ring and on the other end of the phone, you’ll have a team member who is asking you questions. They will be wondering what to do about this or that situation and how to handle it.

It’s good they are calling and looking for guidance, but it’s your job to take what they need help with and do something productive with it.

When you get a question or situation that has or hasn’t been encountered before, it’s your job to take the information and disseminate it to your team. Then that way they know the information and ideally you won’t get a call from Mark about something that Janet called you about two weeks ago.

When these calls come in and these situations pop up, it’s important to write it down and bring it up in the appropriate meeting. This way everyone can learn from what Janet called about.

If appropriate, turn this into a training and put it in a cert.