First, I wanted to make sure you remembered that estimated taxes were due on June 15th. So, if you haven’t already handled those, now is an excellent time to do so!
But I wanted to focus today on something I had to be very clear about for myself during our busy filing season a few months back — “delegation”.
It’s such a catch word that we often don’t think through all of its layers.
Sure, we all know the old cliche: “Delegate, don’t dump!”
But one area that I’ve seen many Newtown Square, PA people struggle with is in helping others do this effectively, within their own organization. When you manage other managers, it’s a different skill than if you are the first-line manager, and you manage only workers.
As I’ve run my Newtown Square, PA tax and accounting firm, I’ve always encouraged my team to never think of themselves as worker drones; there are always elements of what they do that requires managerial excellence — even, for instance, when they are “managing” clients.
So, here’s a little crib sheet I go through with my managers, and I do it whenever it seems like it’s needed. I hope you find this useful for your own Newtown Square, PA business.
How To Get What You Want: Helping Others On Your Newtown Square, PA Management Team
“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” -H. L. Mencken
I’ve had to not only manage employees, but I’ve also learned a thing or two about helping OTHERS do this.
Frankly, when an employee or someone that we are managing isn’t doing his or her job, your first instinct may be to blame the person for not following instructions, being lazy, or not caring about your organization. But I suggest that you take a step back, address the mirror and look at your own performance first.
Consider these possibilities:
Do your people actually know *what* you want?
Go beyond just assigning tasks. Give employees clear performance standards that will help them understand when they’re doing a good job: technical knowledge they need to master, quality and productivity measurements, and so forth.
Do they know *why* you want it?
Workers make better decisions about what they need to do if they know why a task is necessary: how it affects the company, the employee, and other people, and what happens when they don’t perform the task correctly.
Do your team members know every part of *how* to do the job?
This comes down to adequate training, for both new hires and longtime workers. Make employees part of the training process by having them train others in their new skills.
Do they think they’re *already* doing a good job?
A worker will think he or she is doing just fine if you don’t offer frequent and regular feedback. Let your people know what they’re doing well, and it makes it so much easier to coach them to get better in areas where they’re weak.
What.
Why.
How.
Already.
Easy to remember, Easy to check in on. But the answers aren’t always simple. Do the hard work to fix them, though, and you’ll see your team culture begin to thrive in ways you might have never before experienced.
I hope this helps. Remember, we’re here for you beyond mere accounting and tax work for your business. We’re in your corner.
Feel very free to forward this article to a Newtown Square, PA business associate or client you know who could benefit from our assistance — or simply send them our way? While these particular articles usually relate to business strategy, as you know, we specialize in tax preparation and planning for Newtown Square, PA families and business owners. And we always make room for referrals from trusted sources like you.
Warmly,
Stephen Venuti
610-353-0686
Stephen J. Venuti, CPA, MST, LLC
