When you are the leader, one of the keys to success is getting organized, and then delegating tasks. If you can do those things early on, the rest of your job will be a lot easier to handle. In this two minute tip, learn a simple way to approach a job that maximizes teamwork so that everyone is able to contribute to get the mission accomplished.
[Watch the video above, or read the transcript below: ]
Have you ever been in a situation where your team has a job to do, and your leader knows exactly how to do it, so he just starts working. Everyone else is just standing around, not sure how to contribute. That’s a sure sign of a need for organization and delegation. It’s a situation that young leaders often find themselves in.
So I want to talk to you today about a way you can organize and delegate at the front end so you end up getting the job done quicker and have a stronger team as a result.
We’re up on Blue Mountain, hiking the Appalachian Trail. It’s beautiful up here this time of year.
I want to use the idea of building a fire as that task that the leader wants to delegate and organize in order to accomplish more effectively.
1. Establish the Goal
Once you realize you have a job to do, you want to start by establishing a clear vision and goal. (Think SMART Goals)
In this case, we have marshmallows, and we went them toasty and gooey over a fire we build right there.
2. Break the Job into smaller Tasks
The next thing to do is break the big task into smaller tasks.
For example we know that once we light the match, we are going to need some very small, flammable stuff to get the flame going.
We’ll need medium sized sticks called kindling to get the flame to grow.
And some bigger logs called fuel wood to make the fire last long enough for us to cook our marshmallows.
3. Assign a Team to Each Task
Once you know what the tasks are that you want to accomplish, you can take your group, divide it up into teams, and give each team one of those tasks.
One team might have to find the tinder; stuff that is going to catch the flame from the match and get the fire started.(think SMART Goals)
A second team needs to find some kindling – this medium sized dry stuff the size of a pencil to the size of a thumb to help that flame grow.
You two guys need to find some fuel wood; looks like this, maybe as thick as an arm. It will help the flame last long enough that we can cook our marshmallows.
Everybody got it? Ok, let’s go.
The Takeaway
There you have it. With a little bit of teamwork, everything is ready; let’s get to work…
Now that’s a fire. Today it’s marshmallows, but this technique can be applied to just about anything. Take the job you have, establish a clear vision for what you want at the end, break the job into different tasks and have teammates work on each of those tasks. Everyone can contribute their part, and benefit from the teamwork that comes.
And that’s your RapidStart Leadership Two-Minute tip for the day.
Lead On!
Photo Credit:
http://flickr.com/photos/94693506@N00/195879959/ |title=Roasting Marshmallows |taken=July 19, 2006
http://flickr.com/photos/94693506 |photographer=Nina Hale |reviewer= |permis
