Team Delegation is Key
by Devon Fleming on November 25, 2009 at 12:04PM
Whether you are a single stay-at-home mom, an entrepreneur or the head of a major corporation, the key to successful management at home lies in the same tried and true principle businesses use: surround yourself with the best team of resources, then delegate tasks and responsibilities. I have always believed in this principle theoretically, although there are times when delegation is difficult to put into practice. Why is it that we Household CEOs think we should do everything ourselves? How many CEOs perform every task in their company? None. The most prominent and trusted business leaders know that their team is stronger, better equipped and more effective when working together than when each person is working alone. There simply isn’t enough time, energy and attention to do it solo.
To get the team together I turn to my personal network of friends, neighbors, business associates, and others. Just as many businesses have an active Board of Advisors, the Household CEO should have a personal go-to list of trusted people and resources to turn to when the need for help arises – trouble disciplining your ten year old? Call Aunt Elizabeth who is always good for clear direction and insight on kids since she has five of them! Need to know the best, most affordable landscaping company? Call the neighbor you overheard at the bus stop talking about her exhaustive search for one. There’s no need to create more work for yourself if others have already been there, done that. On the flip side, be sure to offer up your particular resources and experiences to others. What goes around, comes around after all.
Being a successful Household CEO means looking at the job at hand and knowing how to tackle it mentally first – whether you are about to undergo a home renovation or simply trying to manage your children and husband, all the while taking care of yourself. Look at your life in big picture terms. You are essentially running different divisions of one company: Your Family. You are the ultimate manager, and while it’s prudent and often necessary to bring in an outside perspective, don’t neglect to consider family members as part of the team, starting with the kids. As I write this article, my 10 year old is vacuuming, my 15 year old just cleaned the entire kitchen and my 13 year old son is doing the laundry! Why should I run around like a headless chicken, cleaning, cooking and trying to run a business, while my children lay around the house waiting to be driven to their sports? If we don’t involve our own children as team players, we are doing them (and ourselves) a big disservice. While I don’t ask them to do more than they are truly capable of achieving, getting them involved in our day-to-day tasks teaches them independence, self-reliance or responsibility – and helps me insure they don’t turn into spoiled little monsters. More importantly, they’ve come to appreciate how much work it takes to run a household and I don’t have resentment any more for feeling like their personal servant.
Job-sharing, when two people share the same job in order to reduce the number of work hours and increase flexibility, is gaining popularity in the business world. It’s a great idea to apply to running a home and family. It’s efficient and economical, especially in the current economic climate when everyone is tightening their belts and looking for ways to save. Want to go on a date with the hubby but dinner and a movie plus the babysitting feels too expensive? Trade babysitting with another friend with small children so you can each go out and not have to pay for childcare. Carpooling is second nature to modern moms—why not do more sharing? Try “dinner-pooling” where you and a neighbor or two take turns making a meal once a week for everyone. It’s just about the same amount of work to make a lasagna for four as it is for eight. Plus, you can take better advantage of the deals for buying in bulk.
Finally, even though times are tough for many, we should still find ways to treat ourselves once in a while. One affordable way to do this is through bartering. If you have accounting skills and your friend has decorative painting skills, why not offer to help her with bookkeeping and have her to help stencil the baby’s room? Offer your special talents or skills in exchange for a haircut or photography session – you never know what someone needs until you ask. The perks can be so worth it!
When we start to become serious about the work involved in running a household and find ways to manage those tasks more effectively, the end result is more free time, less stress and more FUN! Have a question or suggestion for helping other modern moms and Household CEOs? Email me at devon@devonfleming.com. I love to open my network of resources to readers!
Devon Fleming is considered the area’s Home and Lifestyle Expert. She writes books, articles, blogs, and other online content. She provides ‘Fairfield County Living Tips’ on four local radio stations and appears on area TV providing lifestyle segments and “solutions for the modern woman.”
Team Delegation is Key
By Devon Fleming, Posted 25/25/09 12:04 PM
Whether you are a single stay-at-home mom, an entrepreneur or the head of a major corporation, the key to successful management at home lies in the same tried and true principle businesses use: surround yourself with the best team of resources, then delegate tasks and responsibilities. I have always believed in this principle theoretically, although there are times when delegation is difficult to put into practice. Why is it that we Household CEOs think we should do everything ourselves? How many CEOs perform every task in their company? None. The most prominent and trusted business leaders know that their team is stronger, better equipped and more effective when working together than when each person is working alone. There simply isn’t enough time, energy and attention to do it solo.
To get the team together I turn to my personal network of friends, neighbors, business associates, and others. Just as many businesses have an active Board of Advisors, the Household CEO should have a personal go-to list of trusted people and resources to turn to when the need for help arises – trouble disciplining your ten year old? Call Aunt Elizabeth who is always good for clear direction and insight on kids since she has five of them! Need to know the best, most affordable landscaping company? Call the neighbor you overheard at the bus stop talking about her exhaustive search for one. There’s no need to create more work for yourself if others have already been there, done that. On the flip side, be sure to offer up your particular resources and experiences to others. What goes around, comes around after all.
Being a successful Household CEO means looking at the job at hand and knowing how to tackle it mentally first – whether you are about to undergo a home renovation or simply trying to manage your children and husband, all the while taking care of yourself. Look at your life in big picture terms. You are essentially running different divisions of one company: Your Family. You are the ultimate manager, and while it’s prudent and often necessary to bring in an outside perspective, don’t neglect to consider family members as part of the team, starting with the kids. As I write this article, my 10 year old is vacuuming, my 15 year old just cleaned the entire kitchen and my 13 year old son is doing the laundry! Why should I run around like a headless chicken, cleaning, cooking and trying to run a business, while my children lay around the house waiting to be driven to their sports? If we don’t involve our own children as team players, we are doing them (and ourselves) a big disservice. While I don’t ask them to do more than they are truly capable of achieving, getting them involved in our day-to-day tasks teaches them independence, self-reliance or responsibility – and helps me insure they don’t turn into spoiled little monsters. More importantly, they’ve come to appreciate how much work it takes to run a household and I don’t have resentment any more for feeling like their personal servant.
Job-sharing, when two people share the same job in order to reduce the number of work hours and increase flexibility, is gaining popularity in the business world. It’s a great idea to apply to running a home and family. It’s efficient and economical, especially in the current economic climate when everyone is tightening their belts and looking for ways to save. Want to go on a date with the hubby but dinner and a movie plus the babysitting feels too expensive? Trade babysitting with another friend with small children so you can each go out and not have to pay for childcare. Carpooling is second nature to modern moms—why not do more sharing? Try “dinner-pooling” where you and a neighbor or two take turns making a meal once a week for everyone. It’s just about the same amount of work to make a lasagna for four as it is for eight. Plus, you can take better advantage of the deals for buying in bulk.
Finally, even though times are tough for many, we should still find ways to treat ourselves once in a while. One affordable way to do this is through bartering. If you have accounting skills and your friend has decorative painting skills, why not offer to help her with bookkeeping and have her to help stencil the baby’s room? Offer your special talents or skills in exchange for a haircut or photography session – you never know what someone needs until you ask. The perks can be so worth it!
When we start to become serious about the work involved in running a household and find ways to manage those tasks more effectively, the end result is more free time, less stress and more FUN! Have a question or suggestion for helping other modern moms and Household CEOs? Email me at devon@devonfleming.com. I love to open my network of resources to readers!
Devon Fleming is considered the area’s Home and Lifestyle Expert. She writes books, articles, blogs, and other online content. She provides ‘Fairfield County Living Tips’ on four local radio stations and appears on area TV providing lifestyle segments and “solutions for the modern woman.”
