Jake had always been a thrill seeker. From bungee jumping to white-water rafting, he loved the rush of adrenaline and pushing himself to the limit. So when he discovered sky diving, it was like finding his true calling.
He quickly became an expert in the sport and decided to open his own sky diving company. Business was booming and Jake couldn’t be happier. However, as time went on, he found himself overwhelmed with all the responsibilities of running a business.
One day, Jake came across a book on delegation. Flipping through the pages, Jake’s mind raced with possibilities.
He could delegate tasks to his staff and free up some of his time for more important things – like expanding the business or perfecting his own jumps.
Filled with excitement and determination, Jake returned to his company ready to implement what he had learned from the book. He called a meeting with all of this staff members and announced that from now on they would handle all new jumpers while he focused on other aspects of the business.
The next day at 6 am sharp, ten eager individuals arrived at their designated meeting point ready for their first sky dive experience. They were greeted by Jake’s team who seemed equally excited about teaching them everything they knew about skydiving.
After going through safety procedures and instructions, everyone suited up and headed towards the plane – including Jake’s inexperienced staff members who were leading this group for their first jump ever.
As they soared higher into the clouds, Jake watched from below feeling proud of how smoothly everything was going thanks to delegating tasks.
If only he had done this sooner!
Jake’s mind raced with possibilities and what he could no next…
Until the company van pulled in.
And two of the jumpers got out with blank looks on their faces.
And then the police cars came … one after the other…
The bodies of the 8 other jumpers and two inexperienced trainers would be found in various places over the next few days.
And the authorities grilled Jake.
Why had the staff members been send out lacking the experience to handle the specific situation that occurred leading to the dead jumpers?
His decision to delegate without considering these factors had caused a terrible outcome.
And were the basis of the criminal case against him.
And so Jake was taught a valuable but costly lesson – Delegation is not just about handing over tasks to others, but also about providing proper support and training.
It may take more time at the beginning (with mentoring and support), but once it kicks in and the staff step up, the company can succeed and free the owner’s time while building the loyalty and trust of its customers.
Our online Roadblock Advisory Session today at 10 AM EST/ 3 PM GMT / 7 PM GST is all about delegation and the four-step process for doing it effectively. Register here if you want to join.
P.S. Gain the clarity to double your business through our upcoming series of workshops and masterminds.
Here is what we have coming up:
22 January “Roadblocks you Can’t Ignore” Part 2 Delegation:
25 January Sophiall Profit and Dine Mastermind (Live Mastermind Dinner in Dubai)
26 January “Are you Charging What You’re Worth?” Encore
29 January “Roadblocks you Can’t Ignore” Part 3 Pricing:
5 February “Roadblocks You Can’t Ignore” Part 4 Scaling and Fast Growth:
6 February “Pricing Mastery and Business Acceleration Workshop
13 February Sophiall Monthly Mastermind Online Launch
20 February “Are You Charging What You’re Worth” Encore
And for those of you in Dubai, don’t forget to register and attend our Profits and Dining Mastermind, which is scheduled for The Deck Restaurant in the Palm on Thursday, 25 January 5-7 p.m., with doors opening at 4 p.m. and three-course dinner included. You can sign up here.