Nice People Are Selfish

By Action Coach Dave Beam

Well, if you consider yourself a nice person, you may be a bit taken back by that title. In the context of this article, what do I mean by NICE?

Let me ask you a question. If you are a parent, have you always been NICE to your children? Most parents would admit that there are times their children would not consider them NICE. Good parents confront their children, and challenge them, and at times discipline them because they care about them. Even though the child may not like their parents at the time of the correction, good parents care more about their child’s welfare than they do about how that child feels about them in that moment.

Take Some Dance Lessons – Effective Delegation Part V

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I love this analogy because it captures so many principles of effective delegation.  To create effective results in relationships, start dancing and quit wrestling!

Many business owners and managers struggle and strain with delegation.  They have the mindset that to be effective, you have to overpower your employees and force them into submission.  It is literally a wrestling match and the starting bell rings at the beginning of each shift or day.  It is a contest of will and strategy.  Sometimes your “best” employee is the strongest, the most talented, and the most self willed.  You feel like if you let up for a moment, “they” will gain the advantage.  Or you just “give in” and let them “have their way”.

Enough is enough!  Who has the energy or the desire to run their business or department like a military camp?  There is a better and more effective way to manage, and it follows the analogy of dancing vs. wrestling.

Positive Accountability – Effective Delegation Part IV

By Action Coach Dave Beam

When you hear the word “accountability”, what comes to mind?  Does it produce a positive, upbeat, exciting feeling, or a negative, uncomfortable, unpleasant feeling?

When I first start coaching with a person, they almost always have negative emotions and ideas associated with accountability.  They carry bad memories of annual evaluations with supervisors or bosses that were disconnected or on a power trip.  They have visions of tense meetings ending in probation and employee discipline.  They certainly don’t seek out  “constructive criticism” and “performance feedback evaluation” with delight.

The System is the Solution – Effective Delegation Part III

By Action Coach Dave Beam

Wouldn’t it be great when you are ready to delegate a task if you had a machine that could fully transfer your thoughts and brain into another person’s head with a simple flip of the switch!  Well, as far as I know, that one is still science fiction.

One of the key tools for effective delegation is systems.  How is it that McDonalds can deliver a consistent product from thousands of stores worldwide using teenage workers?  It is because they have created a detailed documented system for every detail of operating a franchise store.  You can create a written, documented system for your business as well.