Judgment based on experience determines how much authority a team should have, but there are three helpful questions to guide your decision-making. 

Is the team prepared to accept its assigned responsibilities? The team's level of ability and maturity determines is readiness to respond.  Thoroughly discuss what is expected and carefully monitor team progress.  Support the team with checks and balances.  Encourage autonomy as the team matures and gains needed skills.

Is the team responsible for the right things?  Responsibility for production, without accountability for quality can lead a team to unwise decisions. 

Does the team have the support to develop?  It's tempting to step in and take over when teams falter.  Without the opportunities to learn from mistakes, teams will not develop.  Hold teams accountable, but be patient.

Five Useful Tips For Saving Time, Right Now!

When you are a busy person, managing your time isn't just important, it's critical.  Here are five ways to save time:

1.  Turn decisions into deadlines.  Deadlines prioritize decisions and galvanize action.  A decision to be made is an intention; a deadline to be met is a commitment.

2.  Act quickly on small decisions.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  Taking action creates momentum and sets direction.

3.  Break down big decisions into smaller decisions.  Get the ball rolling.  Success on smaller decisions builds commitment to the bigger decision.

4.  Be confident.  Demonstrate the strength of your convictions.  Don't look back, until you have met your goal.

5.  Seek excellence, not perfection.  No decision will be perfect.  Be ready to revise and respond to new information, new challenges and new opportunities.  Be ready to continuously improve.

Reframing Stress

When things seem to be falling down around you, it's easy to lose perspective.  Here are five things to keep in mind that may help to reframe the stressful situation:

Is this really a problem?  Sometimes a problem is really an opportunity for you to improve.  If it is a problem you will probably do as well as most people in solving it.  If you succeed, you will benefit.  If you fail, in some way you will benefit too.

Have others dealt with this problem?  Talk to your friends and others you respect.  Find out how this problem has been successfully handled before.  You may even discover an innovative solution that you can share with others.

Can this problem be divided into more manageable parts?  Most overwhelming problems can be broken down and taken on in smaller pieces.

What are my priorities?  Think about everything you have to do.  Make a list and rank by importance.  Where does this problem really fit into your day, week, life.

What is the worst that can happen?  What consequences do you face if this problem isn't resolved today, tomorrow, next week, this month, this year, ten years from now?

Quotes

"Leadership, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it." ¾Henry Mintzberg

"Charisma becomes the undoing of leaders.  It makes them inflexible, convinced of their own infallibility, unable to change." ¾Peter F. Drucker

"Example is leadership."¾Albert Schweitzer

Why Do Companies Provide Coaching?

Between 25 percent and 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies hire executive coaches for their employees, according to Philadelphia-based Hay Group, an international consulting and research firm.  Here's a breakdown on why they provide coaching:

Source: Coaching: How Is It Used In Your Company?
Lee, Hecht, Harrison, 2000.