The key to his success was his understanding that the highest level of effectiveness in his work couldn't be reached by staying within the limits of his own abilities. He admitted, "I owe whatever success I have attained, by and large, to my ability to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am."

Lead by doing Less

Andrew Carnegie understood that to have great success he needed only to be effective at doing a handful of things. He delegated tasks that others could do as well as or better than him.

He learned early on that his people and their diverse abilities were his greatest resources, and he became effective at developing and utilizing them. In other words, he was an expert in delegation. And the result of his work speaks for itself: Carnegie made and gave away hundreds of millions of dollars.

If the benefits of delegation are so great, why don't more leaders take advantage of it? For some it may not seem natural. For others it may seem too time consuming. And still some may have difficulty trusting someone else to do an important job.

There are lots of reasons, but the bottom line is that delegating effectively isn't easy. But once you learn to do it, you raise the effectiveness of your organization to a level that you could never achieve alone.

To improve your ability to delegate, spend time learning these important guidelines before you give tasks to others:

CHOOSE

Your choices in the following areas open the door for effective delegation:

- Timing - When should you delegate? Ask yourself: Am I missing deadlines? Am I doing things someone else could do? Do those around me need a new world to conquer? If you answered "yes," it's time to delegate.

- Priorities - What tasks should you take on? Work from the following list: responsibilities only you can perform, tasks that yield the greatest return, and assignments that give you the greatest personal reward. Determine your top priorities using those guidelines, and delegate or eliminate everything else.

- Personnel - Who should you delegate to? To find out, answer the following questions: What is needed? Who is available? Who is able? Who is willing? Who gets things done? Delegate to those who best meet these criteria.

COMMUNICATE

To achieve the results you need, communicate the following to your people:

- Their worth - Share how much you value them personally and communicate their worth to others.

- The value of the project - Make sure "delegatees" know what the project will accomplish for them and for you. Also, explain how the project is valuable to the team and how it achieves the goals of your organization. Make sure you have a well-defined vision -- Vision ...The Process Of Passing It On --

- Support - Let them know that you'll support their decisions. This doesn't mean you won't correct their mistakes; but you'll do it privately.

- The bottom line - In the end, what matters are results not that they're achieved a particular way. Communicate exactly what you want and when you want it done. Leave the methods up to the delegatee.

CONTROL

People naturally take better care of something they consider "theirs." Seek a good balance of responsibility, authority, and accountability.

COACH

A coach is not a person who can play better than his team; he is one who can get his players to perform better than he can. To coach successfully, you must:

- Focus - Constantly show the game plan.

- Share feedback - Take time to "huddle."

- Be flexible - Be willing to adjust to the situation.

Productivity and Potential

If you don't delegate, you limit your productivity to what you can accomplish alone. But when you delegate effectively, you not only increase your potential and that of your organization, but you facilitate the personal growth of your people.

Imagine not just meeting deadlines, but beating them. And imagine spending time doing the things you enjoy most while allowing others to do what they do best. In leadership, it's called a "win-win" scenario, and it will take your organization to a whole new level.

© 1999 John C. Maxwell. Reprinted with permission.

"This ruling by a three-judge appellate panel came at a particularly curious time," said Hires, "since we just had a number of students executed at Columbine High School because they stated their belief in God." "They also knew that outraged students and citizens would have little time to react before the scheduled ceremonies," he explained.

Those in attendance agreed something has to be done, and suggestions ranging from local petition drives, to an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States were discussed. Hires repeatedly stressed the need for change within the law, while at the same time saying a line has to be drawn in the sand, and soon, before all of our rights as law-abiding Americans disappear through the well-organized work of the Godless in our society.

The unanimous agreement to bathe the issue in prayer was immediately embraced by Hires and the others in attendance, and they adjourned to Ted's office to begin that task. Hires vowed there will be much more attention drawn to this dangerous and far-reaching decision, as the various groups become more focused in their courses of direct action.

"What we need now is to hear from the Christian business community," said Hires. "If people will call my office to talk about ideas on what we should do to keep student-led prayer in school, this can be an important event, not just for Christ in Jacksonville, but for people of all religions," he said.

(Hires is asking for calls as soon as possible, day or night, to his office at 781-1067. Please identify yourself as a CPR call.)