Writing about that home run in part 1 was a blast. Lots of great memories – and lessons I applied later in my life and business.

 Especially, training and delegation.

 You see, we all know the value of delegation.

 I’ve even mentioned it a bunch of times in other emails and in my new book.

 It’s easy to convince you of the value of delegating.  It’s like trying to convince you to bring a bottle of water on a hike through the desert.

However, it’s not easy to take what you instinctively know and communicate and teach it effectively to someone else. 

 So delegating effectively is both an art and a science. 

It takes patience and setting the correct example.

It’s not throwing them into the deep end and shouting “swim”.

 Like raising children.

There are books and guides, but at the end of the day, how you raise your kid, how you set the example, and impart your beliefs and knowledge are unique. 

And not everything is under your control!

When Sophia my eldest is screaming in my ear because she doesn’t want her teeth brushed.. pulling out a diagram of a tooth and explaining the importance of gum health to her won’t do much good!

Throughout my career, I’ve mentored several new hires and juniors who became stars and leaders themselves.

It was simple but not easy.

First, from day one, I told them that their goal should be to be better and more successful than me and their peers.

If they could not embrace that goal, they would not succeed and should look for another mentor.  Each one accepted the challenge.

And they became wildly successful. 

(As a quick aside, this is a mindset I picked up from my parents. They grew up in war and wanted us to have better lives and become more successful than they were.  It’s why to this day, I can’t believe that some parents resent their children’s success, get jealous, or try to cut them down. To me, being threatened by your children’s success is a complete loser mentality…as is abusing and keeping your team down so they must rely on you.)

So the first lesson, and it sounds hokey, but demand and encourage excellence from whomever you delegate. 

 And then give them the time, the resources, and set the example.

Provide systematic Three Dimensional Mentoring.

Like Coach Shane, who had to drill me repeatedly on the proper positioning of my feet and elbows. 

Which led me to hit home runs.

It’s the same with delegating.  Have a process and timeline to how you delegate. 

You’ll know you’re successful when they can do the task you assigned them better and more efficiently than you.

I had a client who wanted to develop two general managers to take over the sales and operating segments of his business.

 He did it in phases, stepping back at each one and giving his employees more freedom and independence to do the job, but also making them more responsible and accountable.

For example, he didn’t want to be the point person every time a customer emailed with a problem.  

So, to start having his employee take ownership of the customer relationship, he took him to each meeting to build a personal connection and copied him on every communication with the client.

When customers emailed him, he would respond, but cc his employee and ask the employee to follow up directly with the customer. 

 Finally, when he felt 100% confident in his employee, he told the client that the employee was THE PERSON to deal with the problem and would do it better than himself.

 Customers got the message and the owner does not have to get involved in every issue now.  He is still ccd on every email, so that the customer knows he is aware of what is going on, but they feel comfortable dealing directly with his staff.

 This owner now spends his time expanding the business into new markets.  He successfully mentored and delegated.

 He has ball players who can run and grow the business without him having to pick up a bat and get into the batter box.

 Delegating isn’t just about giving someone a task and forgetting about it. 

 It’s about mentoring and standards of excellence.

 Let’s end with a quick checklist:

  • Set High Expectations
  • Be clear about what needs to be done.
  • Provide support along the way.
  • Give feedback.
  • Be patient.

Learning how to delegate is essential for having a life and growing a business. 

You get to focus on growing your business while developing strong employees who can take on more responsibility over time.

 It frees you… 

 It’s like hitting a Grand Slam every time you’re up to bat.