Is there anyone who doesn't wish they had more time? Whether it's showing houses, networking to build your business, nurturing your children, or even (what a concept!) finding time for your own relaxation, there never seems to be enough to go around. We all get the same ration – 24 hours a day.
But what if you could take some of those hours and double them by accomplishing twice as much? It is possible, you know. You don't need a magic wand or a time machine. All you need is the discipline to delegate. I'm not saying that it's easy – none of us likes to think that someone else can do a task as well as we can. But that's the point; a task doesn't always need to be completed our way, it simply needs to be completed effectively.
One of the best things about delegating is it frees your time to do what you do best and enjoy most. When you delegate tasks you don't enjoy someone else you can grow and develop the skills you need to accomplish your own goals faster. (Like, for instance, attending the Jumpstart Workshop!)
Start creating time for yourself by following the four steps of delegation:
Organize yourself first. Whatever task you are thinking of handing off, you need to see the whole picture in order to make delegation decisions. Think through the process, learn and use your systems, decide what you want to delegate.
Train your delegate(s). These days it's common to delegate to someone hundreds of miles away, so clear communication is essential. Take the time to explain the goal of the task, not just how to do the work. Based on the skill and experience level of the individual, allow time to give clear direction and answer questions. Helping people to be the best they can be is the highest and most productive level of delegation.
Entrust your delegate with the assignment. Resist the temptation to peek over their shoulder. Once you've explained the result you expect, give the person some room to do the work their own way. Remember that you're looking for the right result, not an exact copy of your own way of doing things. Answer questions but don't hover.
Follow up and evaluate. Mark your calendar to follow-up when the work is due. Praise a job well done and give useful feedback if improvement is needed. Did you get the result you wanted? Was it in the form you asked for and on time? If not, try to identify where the project got off track and what needs to be changed the next time.
Done right, delegating can double your time. What would you do if you had more hours in your day?
Coach Patti
Patti Kouri, Accelerated Performance Coaching
Helping You Through Self-Made Limitations!
Take control of your Life and Business, and create extraordinary results.
Join a select group of real estate professionals at
Coach Patti's Annual Jump Start Workshop, November 14-16, 2008
With special guest speaker, Floyd Wickman.
Reserve your seat today!
I'd like to keep you updated on the very cool things Justin Zimmerman is doing at GoodMorningRealEstate. Here is a post from my dear friend and colleague, Joeann Fossland. I'm reblogging much of it with her permission.
Are you ruled by the telephone? Does that small packet of electronics hanging on your belt demand your attention – and do you give it – constantly? If so, you could be under the control of a wild telephone. Time to tame it!
Without our office and cell phones, we'd be hard pressed to run a successful real estate business. The trick is not lose sight of the fact that it is a tool. Just as the phone's battery needs recharging in order to keep operating, so do you. Phones can and should be turned off (not just silenced) when it's time for family and relaxation.
"Almost out" is not a happy place to be: almost out of time, almost out of gas, almost out of money. Suddenly, you can't think of anything else. You're in a meeting with a client but your mind is fretting about what you’ll do if your car can't make it to your next appointment. Now where was that gas station?
Your attention is compromised because you're focused on what’s missing instead of what you’re doing right now. Guess what? You can fix this problem. The solution is to create a reserve—extra time, extra money—so that there's always a little cushion between you and out.
The first step is to assess and prioritize your needs. What's missing in your life can gobble up so much energy that it's hard to tell what the problem is. If I had more time, I’d be able to exercise and my arthritis wouldn’t bother me so much, so I'd stop avoiding hillside properties and I’d have more clients and more money, etc., etc., etc.
___ How's your spiritual life? Do you have a peaceful place—either physical or psychological—for retreat and renewal?
The next step is to start from the heart as you begin to build a reserve. Whatever order you gave those six areas, you must begin the rebuilding process with your self. All the time and money in the world isn’t going to help if you are a physical or emotional wreck; conversely, the more robust your physical, spiritual and emotional life, the better your work, finances and schedule will be! Guaranteed. Here are some things you can do, starting immediately, to create reserve in your life:
Give yourself an attitude adjustment. Leave the gloom room. Negativity is contagious and there's way too much of it going around. Just say no to complaining, blaming, and excuses. Focus on what's going right and start building positivity from there. Practice smiling. Find something to laugh about.
Divide tasks into smaller pieces. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of our problems. Think of your debt in $25 increments (mail one now) instead of in thousands; turn your back on the mess and deal with one file; take one tiny step toward the solution to a nagging problem.
We all know the story of Chicken Little who ran around saying the sky was falling, and eventually became Foxy Loxy's lunch. There's no question that the entire global economy is in facing challenges as never before, and that many people are fearful almost to the point of paralysis. When the only thing we can count on is uncertainty, fear starts to rule us and keep us from acting.
75 years ago things were also looking grim when Franklin Roosevelt gave his first inaugural address. He spoke of the need for action as the way to overcome the paralysis, saying famously, "…let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
You can reach into your Realtor's® tool box and bring out your best. Call everyone in your sphere of influence, just to keep in touch. Connect through your Internet social circles as well as through your local organizations such as Rotary. Become that beacon of hope and light that everyone is looking for now. Stay active in the community. Everyone else may be hiding, but you can be out there. Real estate is a contact sport, so be out there talking to people.
It's important to remember – as John Tuccillo pointed out - that the news media speak in generalities, and that all cities and states are not experiencing the same effects. Agents need to look at their specific market as some markets are actually doing well, selling at or just a little below median market. So check your MLS data to understand what's going on in your specific market with days on market, ratio of sales to listing price, etc. Then you'll be able to give consumers the facts so they can make good decisions. Share what the opportunities are today and just be someone that people can talk to who won't moan and groan about how bad things are. When the time comes – as it surely will – people will remember the agent who is out there and being the focal point of their community.
You know, the deer-in-the-headlights look? These days you don't have to look very far to see real estate agents who are frozen, paralyzed, and panic-stricken. It's perfectly understandable with the worldwide financial crisis, and an important presidential and congressional election less than a month away. Whether man-made or natural, catastrophes affect people deeply.
The thing is, catastrophes happen. Hurricanes like Katrina and Ike, earthquakes and mudslides, tsunamis, and stock market slides. A catastrophe can be a divorce, an unexpected death, a serious illness, or a business failure. They happen. We cannot control them, we can only choose how to respond.
Yet within 30 days my whole life changed for the better. With the house unliveable, I moved to a new town, and created a real estate coaching program that was the basis of this career I love. I was forced by catastrophe to let go and say, "I don't want to do what I've been doing, and I don't know what's on the horizon, but I'll find my answer." And I did.
Even the most horrendous events, like that earthquake in 1994, or hurricanes, have some positive outcomes. Building regulations improve, better evacuation procedures are developed, people take warnings seriously and act on them. I'm not saying there isn't a devastating human toll; I'm only saying that we need to hold on to the perspective that we learn and improve from even the worst events.
Is there anyone who likes being around a "Victim?" It's certainly not an appealing personality trait. And yet, in a down-turning market, you'd think that Victim was the name of a hot new perfume; everywhere you turn, you get a whiff of it.
The biggest hurdle in your anti-victim campaign may be allowing yourself to recognize that you already have everything you need to make a change. You don't have to go out and get a life makeover: you've got the tools, the skills, and the knowledge at your fingertips. All you need is to do something (almost anything!) different than your usual, boring victim habit. Here’s how:
Tweak your attitude. Write down five positive things you can talk about. At least three of them should be upbeat comments or questions you can use to get someone else talking. Of the remaining two, one should be something hopeful that's going on in the world, in the market, or in the neighborhood, and the last one can be something exciting (yes, there really is something exciting and positive if you think about it) about yourself. (An important note here: "Victim" is an entirely egocentric attitude. The world is all about me-me-me. When you start thinking about, caring about, and asking about other people, it becomes very difficult to maintain your grip on your victimhood.)
Reward yourself. Crossing the item off your list may be enough of a reward, but if you need something more substantial, go look in the mirror and say the following to your reflection: "You are so smart. You are a person of power and influence. Taking control of your attitude and your business is the best thing you’ve done for yourself in a long time. Way to go."
There's one other step that can put your victim-ness into perspective in a hurry: doing something for someone who needs help more than you do. This goes beyond writing a check to a charity. Again, it's about action: opening your heart and putting the spotlight on someone else.
When you take the time to identify your ideal customer – and avoid working with those who don't fit that model – you are much more likely to be both fulfilled and successful. I once worked with an agent who had a toxic seller. Through the coaching process he realized it was his fear of lack of business (and money) that caused him to lower his standards so that he ended up with the seller from hell. Knowing that, he was able to make meaningful changes.
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That sounds like I'm telling you to be a cuddly porcupine, doesn't it? But while you're building trust and relationships, it can be easy to give so much, or be so willing to help, that you end up doing things that are not right for you. Part of building a successful business is knowing and playing to your own particular strengths.
That's what I mean by creating a boundary. You could take those listings, but you wouldn't enjoy the work as much. You might not even do the best for those clients. And you likely would find yourself resenting the time spent doing something you don't enjoy. But if you know where your boundaries are and build your business in your own "sweet spot," you'll have business that you enjoy more and do better.
The other boundary you need to stake out is private time to keep yourself healthy and able to do your best. Most people can run at high speed and maximum intensity for a short time. But if we try to keep up an extreme pace, without the right amount of rest and refueling, most of us will lose our edge, make bad decisions, even become ill. We should take a lesson from the cheetah. Earth's fastest land animals can sprint up to 70 miles per hour, but only for a short distance. Then they stop, rest, feed, and sleep. You deserve to take care of yourself as well so that you feel good and have the energy for your sprint.