Check Back Your Key to Delegation Success

Check Back Your Key to Delegation Success

In order to grow your business, you're going to have to trust that your staff members are capable of getting the job's done that you assign to them. That means you're going to have to do something that may be uncomfortable for some of you and easy for others. You’re going to have to delegate tasks in order to grow your business. After all, you're only one person, you can't do it all. And what you are going to find is that some of your staff members can do certain jobs even better than you can. It's more important than ever before that we utilize certain tools that will increase the odds of success when were delegating tasks to our team.

One of the best delegation techniques I've ever come across is one that I call: Check Back!

Now check back is not check up. After all, if you're checking up on a staff member the first thought that comes into their mind is that you don't trust them. You could be the best worker on the planet and if somebody is standing behind you’re back watching you do your job you're going to make mistakes. So we use a technique called Check Back and here's how it works:

Step One:

Assign a team member, a task to do and ask them the question, when can I Check Back with you? The ball is now in their court they have to give you a time when they are going to have the task completed and a commitment to getting it done. Now get out of the way!

Step Two:

You Must Check Back! If you assign a task to a staff member and don't follow up at the assigned time you're sending a message that you don't care. The next time you assign a task to that team member they will drag their feet and be more likely to sabotage the process.

Step Three:

If you have Checked Back with that employee and they've completed the task let them know how much you appreciate it. If they have not completed the task then you want to ask the key question and the question goes like this: you asked your children to go upstairs and clean up their room, you go upstairs and an hour later and the room is not cleaned up, what is the first question that you asked your child?

Why? And the answer better not be Because.

When we assign tasks to our employees, we expect them to complete the tasks especially if they've made a commitment. Now if they don't like the task they are doing that's okay, we expect them to see it through to the end. The next time a similar task comes up; we explain to them that they really don't have to do it. However we explain to them the consequences and then it's their choice.




The use of Check Back is a fabulous technique that allows your team to accomplish tasks that you assign to them which ultimately strengthens the team and its individual members both personally and professionally. It has been my experience that when I get out of the way good things happen!

Dr. Rick Goodman is an author, consultant, and professional speaker who works with organizations and leaders that want great results. For more information on Rick’s keynote speaking programs, audio programs and training programs go to http://www.dr.rickgoodman.com/ or call 888-267-6098

Great Service Creates Happy Attorneys!

For the past week I've gotten some of the most thankful and appreciating phone calls and messages from one of the most unlikely sources, attorneys from around the country! Our company Advantage Legal Seminars http://www.advantagelegalseminars.com/ is now approved in 22 states for continuing legal education and continues to grow.

This means that attorneys in any one of these states can purchase our courses online or by audio CD and get credits in multiple states.The upward mobility of many of these attorneys means that they are more and more licensed in multiple states. When one of our customers calls and they find out they will not have to travel in order to get credits in multiple states, we create a happy customer!

Two of the last testimonials really impressed me and I'd like to share them with right now!

I very much enjoyed listening to your course as unlike other ethics courses I've attended over my 41 years at the Kennedy Space Center it focused on actual situations the speaker had dealt With and how the attorneys first responsibility is to his client and not how much fee he can generate. What was nice was the relation on the speaker's part as to how taking care of his clients in a fair and ethical manner engendered manifold beneficial returns that the attorney did not expect nor seek. A presentation well done -Douglas G. Hendrickson Esq., Chief Counsel, Kennedy Space Center

There is no faster or easier way to earn a lot of CLE is in a hurry! Thanks for your quick turnaround and support-Brent W. Yessin Esq.

I'm so excited that were able to help so many people in fact. We are going to be developing three new programs for Advantage Legal Seminars customers this year alone.

The year is off to a rapid and exciting start and I look forward to more happy customers in the future!

PUMP UP YOUR PRACTICE

While studying hundreds of law practices, large and small, in the big cities and small towns regardless of the type of law the attorneys practiced, it was apparent that the most productive practices had three things in common. Every system in these firms met three criteria. The firms had to be Simple, Fast and Efficient. In order to better understand these principles so that you may apply them to your practice lets look at them individually.

1. Simplicity

The most successful practices that we evaluated had readily reproducible systems that most if not all of the members of the organization understood. There were several reasons why these reproducible systems made the practice more productive. First the easier the system was to understand the more apt the employees were to embrace the system. Secondly the simple system allows employees the ability to learn more rapidly and lastly it enabled the office to have cross-functional teams that could handle many of the operational issues in the office even in the absence of key individuals.

2. Speed

Time is of the essence not only when working on cases or handling contracts, but when responding to requests of clients and employees alike. In the information age, the most successful offices have rapid response teams in place to meet the ever-changing demands of their clients and business. The speed at which these firms respond to these needs separates them from their competition, which affects the bottom line.

3. Efficiency

The firms that are forging ahead in the legal profession are the ones that have been able to maximize their time to get the highest performance and best use of their employees and organization. These firms recognize that every second counts in business and their systems of prioritization optimizes their success.
In order to make your practice more productive you need to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are my current systems too complex to reproduce and does anybody understand the purpose of them except for me?

2. What can I do to set up a quick response in order to meet my clients and firms needs?

3. Am I maximizing my time for the best use of my strengths so that my business will grow?

Once you have answered these questions you will be able to determine the systems that need to be improved in order to maximize the productivity of your practice.

Dr. Rick Goodman is a professional speaker who works with organizations that want to develop great leaders “Through Excellence in Communication and Team Building”. For more information on Rick's speaking programs, Audio programs or Learning programs contact (888) 267-6098 or e-mail Rick@drrickgoodman or www.drrickgoodman.com.

© 2007 Dr. Rick Goodman