One of my favorite EOS® tools is Delegate and Elevate™.
It is a four-quadrant tool that helps you identify what you love to do and are best at—also known as your sweet spot.
In order for your organization to grow, you must let go of responsibilities. Wearing seven hats as you started your organization is a necessity; now that you have grown and have 27 employees, wearing seven hats is a hindrance.
Each quadrant provides space for you to list the things you:
- Love to Do and are Great at
- Like to Do and are Good at
- Don’t like to Do and are Good at
- Don’t like to Do and are not Good at
Quadrants #1 and #2 represent your sweet spot —that which only you can do. The goal is for you to delegate the things you are now doing that fall into quadrants #3 and #4.
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you begin identifying a task you will delegate to another person in your organization:
- Delegate to the person, team, or department that has the skillset and ability to take on the task.
- Clearly communicate the result you want. Specify what has to be true when the task is completed.
- Be sure the date by which the task needs to be completed is clear. That may be a scheduled time each month for an ongoing task or the completion date for a one-time project.
- Identify the level of decision-making authority the person, team, or department has when completing the task.
- Be available to help answer questions or help solve a problem. Don’t “rescue” the person or team; ask questions and help them determine the best answer or resolution.
When you take advantage of someone else’s capability by enlisting them to perform an activity that takes you closer to your sweet spot, you make that person valuable. You’re telling them how they can be incredibly important and useful in the organization. You also give that person a chance to multiply their abilities.
So keep track of the tasks you do during the week, and add them to the appropriate quadrant. And every quarter, move something from the Don’t Like/Good At and the Don’t Like/Not Good At quadrant off your plate. Everyone will thank you.
Most business owners understand and can be convinced of the importance Delegate and Elevate™, but getting them to actually execute is a whole other ball game. If you are not sure where to start, what you can offload, or just want to talk through improving your delegation process, contact me. As a certified EOS Implementer™, I help my clients with this challenge every day and have executed it myself in the last business I owned. Let’s set up a time to talk about delegation and get your business growing in 2021.
