Hi Reader
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Delegation takes trust and a willingness to relinquish control. It's hard to do!

Only when you are happy to relinquish control and be prepared to trust others will you be able to have greater personal effectiveness in your day-job.

Do you find that your schedule is busy with tasks that you should be delegating Reader?

It’s not possible to get anywhere quickly or efficiently without the help of others. Very often we surround ourselves with people, but fail to delegate to them effectively.

One of my clients expressed it very well:

Do you relate to that quote? One caveat about delegating:

Don’t assume that what you delegate will be done to your personal standard or right first time. Always make sure that the deadline you give to the person to do the work gives you lots of back pocket time before you need to report back to the client.

This back pocket time allows for some slippage on the junior’s stated timetable, and for you to actually incorporate their work into your thinking before you go back to the client.

Delegate responsibility, not accountability

At the end of the day, the buck stops with you. If your team doesn’t perform, it will be you having the conversations with partners and the client.

You need to make sure that you delegate the appropriate level of responsibility. If someone is new and untested then you will need to make sure they check-in with you more than an experienced team member.

You need to judge the amount of support each team member will need from you and the team to achieve their task list.

Get each person to update you daily (or weekly) on the progress they are making with the tasks you have allocated them.
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If you're struggling to get anywhere with delegating, it's time for you to work through the How to Delegate Like a Pro course (click here) in your Progress to Partner Academy.

WATCH: Progress to Partner Executive Coach Kate Clover talks you through the sorts of things you should start delegating.

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One of my suggestions is to Delegate your Business Development activities!

Trainees, juniors and interns are great for researching prospects and marketplaces.

For example, one of our clients heads up a sector team in her firm. She asks the trainees who are interested in joining her sector team to research and find good articles to send to clients and introducers.

That way, her trainees get a deeper knowledge of the sector and she gets a series of curated articles that she can easily send on.

When you delegate business development activities it can truly be a win-win for everyone concerned.

Remember - You don’t have to do everything yourself. You have a team for a reason, so use them.

Use them to support you while you spend some of your time on the valuable tasks that will progress your career.

OFFICE HOURS QUESTIONS...

​If you have any career questions send them to us at hello@howtomakepartner.com with P2P Office Hours in the subject line.

I will read your question and you will get a personal reply as well as help to find a course or guide inside your Progress to Partner Academy.

​Plus if you have any feedback on Progress to Partner Academy, hit reply to let me know, I really appreciate your comments!
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speak soon

Heather

Author (Poised for Partnership, the Financial Times Guide to Business Networking) Co-author How to Make Partner (and Still Have A Life)

The leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner, and when you get there, stay there. Founder of Progress to Partner Academy