Day 4

Subject: You can't do it all yourself, [firstname].

Hi [firstname],

In today's installment I want to cover the art of delegating, because effective delegation is what sets good leaders apart from the “also-rans”. 

Sometimes people find the thought of delegating something to somebody else scary – especially people who have very fixed ideas as to the “right” and “wrong” ways of doing things.  

But let me tell you something… 

A “my way or the highway” attitude is not the mark of a good leader. Besides, you already delegate lots of things with out realizing it.

For example:

You delegate work when you use calculator instead of your head to add up figures; when your write something down in a notebook instead of trying to remember it; when you telephone, Skype or e-mail somebody instead of going to see them in person and so on.

The question then becomes: What do you delegate and what do you keep for yourself?

Following on from yesterday's e-mail you could think that tactics should be delegated and strategy kept for yourself. This is true, but it's only part of the story.

Back in 1931, in their groundbreaking book The Knack of Managing, writers Herbert Watson and Lewis K. Urquhart broke tasks down into “Enterprise” (tasks which involve the use
of judgment, initiative, experiment or speculation) and “Routine” (tasks which follow settled precedents, or rules, or come within the range of known ability to perform).  They stated that routine tasks should be delegated and enterprise tasks kept for yourself.  That certainly makes sense – especially in a business setting.

Like I said the other day, great leaders “don't sweat the small stuff” and the small stuff is best delegated – especially if somebody (or something) can do the task better than you.

Warmly,

[Your Name]

PS. Don't forget your copy of my guide to becoming a great leader.  Here's the link: [link to sales page].
