“The reason there were so many heroes at the Alamo is that there was no back door”
Whether we are a parent, boss, or in charge of a team, we need to be a good teacher. What do good teachers do? You remember. Think of our favorites growing up. They believed in us, they wanted us to grow and prosper, and they would not let us sell ourselves short. We don’t do much growing in our comfort zone.
There are two types of delegation: One is designed to increase someone’s ability and confidence, and the other is for work distribution.
When I was in 5th grade, my teacher, Mrs. McGinness delegated a project to me. She appointed me editor of the class yearbook. It was a big project, and I didn’t think I could do it. Mrs. McGinness made me believe that I could.
To get started, I needed to break the job into “bite-size” chunks. If I hadn’t, it would have been overwhelming. I shared this list of tasks with Mrs. McGinness, and she directed me to put deadlines on each one. Then she checked in with me on each deadline to make sure I didn’t run into a snag. Losing steam was not an option. There were times when I got overwhelmed, and wanted her to help with the load. Nope. It was my “baby” she told me. I persevered and, if I may say so, did a pretty good job. Mrs. McGinness knew the magic phrases that kept me accountable and prevented her from “buying it back” Here were a few:
I know you can do it…
I am counting on you, Steve…
What is your new plan of action?
What are you going to do about it now?
What is plan B?
Mrs. G kept me moving forward. That is what strong leaders do!
