Work on the System

Leaders Work ON the System, Not IN the System.

You have a work flow... How organized that work flow is depends on you. I want you to imagine yourself at your desk. If it is anything like mine we could say it's a disaster. Oh wait, I mean un-neatly organized! Now that you are picturing it, imagine all the related tasks that are on it's surface. The thirty-fifth paper in pile number two is related to the sixty-fourth paper in pile five. It has gotten this way due to neglect.

So, day to day you sit there. You take the top paper, work on it, put it somewhere else, or you throw it in the trash. You are in the system...

Now, imagine that you had perfect clarity. You are now standing OVER your desk (not sitting at it) and because you can see the big picture you can see how each paper corresponds to other papers and you begin to group them with all other relevant papers. You begin to see "mobilizations" instead of a to-do list. You are working ON the system...

As long as you are working one task at a time, you will fail to give ownership of anything to anyone. It is faster to do the task than to teach (or allow) someone else to do it. However, if the related and relevant items are grouped, and a mobilization is build around it, you can give ownership of something much bigger than a task, and relieve yourself of the minutiae of having to perform every task yourself. As a collective whole, those tasks can become a strategic mobilization which results in the training of your leaders and greater efficiency of the organization.

Let go!

As a leader, your people need you to show them where they are headed, not ONLY how they will get there. Inspire them with the big picture. Reward them for every step towards that end. Celebrate when each victory is achieved and inspire confidence in their abilities. You know as well as I that they are going to make mistakes. We also know that at first, the tasks will get completed to a lesser level of excellence than it would had we completed the task on our own. However, that kind of thinking leads into a trap. You do not have the capability to work in the system and direct it from above. If you desire change in your organization, but refuse to let go of the inner workings, then step aside and let another lead. It's scary, but it is true. A leader rejoices more over a mistake made with effort than with inactivity perfectly executed.

About Delegation...

Delegation is a win-win when done appropriately, however that does not mean that you can delegate just anything. To determine when delegation is most appropriate there are five key questions you need to ask yourself:

1. Is there someone else who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the task? Basically, is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself?

2. Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person’s skills?

3. Is this a task that will recur, in a similar form, in the future?

4. Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively? Time must be available for adequate training, for questions and answers, for opportunities to check progress, and for rework if that is necessary. However, this investment of time, in the long run, will greatly benefit you and the organization.

5. Is this a task that I should delegate? Tasks critical for long-term success (for example, recruiting the right people for your team) genuinely do need your attention.

If you can answer “yes” to at least some of the above questions, then it could well be worth delegating this job.