Admin

Are we expecting too much?

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Realt-eTransAct

Delegation is an important skill in business, especially Real Estate, where you often have a team of people working on each transaction.  With all the delegating that goes on, it is important to have realistic expectations of what should be done and when.

Just the other day I walked up to CJ Baker, our marketing assistant, and asked him about our MySpace initiative.  He told me he was still working on the business cards I gave him the day before.  Now, this is no reflection on the ability of CJ, he is a great employee, and he does have other tasks besides the ones I delegate to him.

What this showed me is that I need to have a realistic expectation of the time required for any task I choose to delegate. At the same time, I need to prioritize the tasks so the team is always working on the most important project at that time.

I looked up "delegate" on www.dictionary.com to gain a better understanding of the meaning. This entry is particularly interesting,

"1. to transfer power to someone"

If you hire the right people you can transfer power to them and trust that the job will get done on time, and done well.  This also serves to empower your employees which will motivate them to contribute and grow the company while growing their own skill sets.  For more insight on delegation, take a look at Beth Young's blog, titled "Delegating is like a game of tennis..."

Comments(6)

Show All Comments Sort:
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Delegation is definitely a good Managing Skill, however it can be a headache too. I agree you need to be realistic in how long a task should take.

Hiring the right people...now this is an interesting concept.  If we could just get people to stop embellishing their CV's (Resumes), and find people that have the same work ethics as we do,not to mention marketable skills or Industry specific ones, it might be easier to hire the right people. 

Jul 31, 2007 04:04 AM
Nathan Hartman
Realt-eTransAct - Morgan Hill, CA
Realt-eTransAct

Rondel

Our initiative is moving right along.  After talking further with CJ we ended up doing exactly as you mentioned, realigning the project to make it more manageable.  You brought up a great point, delegating the task is the first step, it must be monitored and adjusted to create a successful outcome.

Kathy

So far I have not been in the position to hire new employees but I know exactly what you mean!  After 4 years with this company I have seen several new hires come and go.  In most cases, I know that we saw something in them or believed they would fit, only to find out down the road that they were full of it, incompetent or some combination of the two.  Luckily our current team is exceptional.

Jul 31, 2007 11:55 AM
Beth Young
Holler Law Firm - Milford, CT
Been there, Done that...
Kathy, you are right about not meeting the "true" person in an interview.  We have learned the hard way to really follow up thoroughly with references and interview the references carefully for each new hire candidate.
Aug 05, 2007 06:31 PM
Skye Hawk
At Your Service! Virtual Assistant Specialists - Fountain Hills, AZ
NAR Cert. REPA "Rockstar REVA"

Nathan- That is one thing as a Real Estate Virtual Assistant that we are faced with everyday. When working with clients they need to know how to delegate and then have "real" expectations of what the task entails as far as time. I have some clients who have in the past given me a laundry list of things to do and then check back the next morning and expect everything they gave me to be complete. That is just now how things work. So yes you are right make sure you are realistic with the amount of time you can "realistically" expect someone to do the task.

Aug 07, 2007 10:56 AM
Sam Miller
RE/MAX Stars Realty - Howard, OH
Knox County Ohio Real Estate Specialist
Nathan-  Jim Collins wrote a book called "Good To Great" which talks about getting the right people in the right seats.  This is a concept about putting the right people in the right positions of your business/team.  If you have not read this book it is certainly a good read.  If you already have a team many light bulbs will turn on in your head and you will instantly recognize areas you can improve.  This book fits your blog topic very well.
Oct 10, 2007 01:08 AM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Hi, Nathan

          We invite you back to ActiveRain.   Much has changed since your last post.

     Log in, leave a comment, write a post!

Dec 02, 2017 08:23 PM