search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Columns

You're Not The Only One
Alan Levi

April 30, 2002
Resist the temptation to do it yourself. Learn to lead.

So how's it going so far?" I asked the newest supervisor at our company. For more than 10 years he has progressed from an apprentice, to a lead technician, to a supervisor.

"It's tough," he said. "I find the hardest part is resisting the temptation to just pick up the tools and do the work myself."

"I hear you," I told him. "It was difficult for me when I switched from working in the field to working in the office. After all, you know what, when and how to do what it takes to get the jobs done right and the first time," I replied. "Change is tough."

"Yeah, it sure is," he agreed. "It's just so much harder to stand there and watch while instructing others. But, I know that the time I'm spending training others now will help both them and me grow the company so we can all do more in the future."

And for anyone who has ever been "hands-on," this is the toughest discipline to learn. We feel we're the only ones who know how to do it right. But, if you want to grow your company, you have to move from doing the work to training others to do the work. It's the only way I know to leverage your skills. You need to continue to delegate more and more jobs that you've always felt only you can do.

Lead, Don't Lecture

And how you do this makes all the difference. Most of us think we've delegated an assignment because we've scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to someone. That's what I think of as the "Sink Or Swim" approach, and I'm really not fond of it. People can die from this approach (and if they survive, they won't be fond of you).

And if you think you've never done this, let me ask you one question: Does this sound familiar?

You give someone on your staff who you think is a jerk, a know-it-all or a screw-up a task to do. You scribble something on a sheet of paper. Instead of taking the time to discuss how you expect this person to do the job and by when, you just shove the work on them.

Maybe you'll ask sarcastically, "Any questions?" Naturally, there won't be any. Then, without spending the necessary time to explain what it is you want and by when, you send this person off to do the job.

You have just set them up to prove (once again) that they have the uncanny ability to let you down. And, sure enough, when you get around to checking on how things are going, they are either doing it the wrong way or they don't know how to proceed. Now you have to pitch in and save the day, of course. You'll moan to yourself and anyone else who'll listen about how it would have been easier to just do it yourself in the first place.

Sound familiar?

It doesn't have to be this way. Here, consider this:

Let's take someone you like and respect. You give this person a job or task and you provide them with the details about what you want, when you want it, and what they can count on from you to be successful. You'll spend a few extra minutes making sure they understand.

They'll probably be more inclined to ask questions or request more information since you've sent them the signal that it is OK to ask. You might ask them to tell you how they plan to do the work, and you'll assure them that you'll be by soon to make sure things are going well. You'll also let them know that if there are any problems they can contact you, and you'll tell them where you'll be.

Things go smoother this way, right?

Until a couple of years ago, I didn't know there was a better way to empower others. It was only when I went to a class and the teacher pointed out how we, as owners and managers, need to work on how we delegate tasks to others.

Begin with a sincere "Good morning!" and let everyone on your staff know that you appreciate their choosing to work with you. This attitude is not reserved for just the best performers who are the easiest employees to deal with, but to everyone.

That class made me aware that my attitude was actually preventing people from asking questions. People were not allowed to reveal to me (and to other management people) what they didn't know, or what they were unsure of. Things are different now, though. Today, people are allowed to ask questions and tell us they don't know something. They no longer feel uneasy about this.

Just Ask

We saw a turning point in our company when we adopted this new philosophy. The rules have changed. Now we say, "Whatever you don't know, you have the right to ask and we are obligated to answer you. Whatever you haven't been taught or shown, we are obligated to teach you. And once we show you, once you have demonstrated to us that you can do the task, then you sign off and it goes in a file."

By changing the rules, we no longer need to keep re-teaching the same things. If we've taught you, and you've demonstrated that you know, but you refuse to do it anyway, then it becomes a disciplinary issue. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence.

The sarcasm and smirks of old have changed to praise and smiles. We have a better understanding of our roles in the training and working process.

I've heard this called the "Show me, Tell me" approach, and I think it works well. But, I prefer to think of it as the "First, I'll do it and you'll watch, then you'll do it and I'll watch, and then you'll do it alone and we'll talk about how it went" approach.

Having those extra steps in the process allows for individual growth and gives everyone an opportunity to do the tasks a little bit better in the future.

An agreed-upon, written set of guidelines for each of the most common tasks in your company will help. This leads to consistency in the way things get done.

And the guidelines are just that -- guidelines. They're not meant to be so rigid that there is no room for creative problem solving as unique situations arise. They're meant to allow people to understand in a more formal way what you expect from them. And I think you'll find that your training and delegating become faster, easier and more lasting.

Give it a try. I think you'll find yourself spending less time feeling like you're the only one who can do it. And I'll bet your staff will look forward to taking on more jobs and tasks.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Manage My Account
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

Plumbing equpment parts and wrench on the white background close up.

Plumbing & Mechanical 2025 Plumbing Tools Survey

Latin American plumber fixing a toilet in the bathroom.

Troubleshooting common airflow plumbing issues

Empty modern room with large windows looking out onto a green lawn and trees.

Transitions: What do I do about cooling? (Part 1)

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • They're not boilers

    See More
  • Comfort is not a commodity

    John Siegenthaler: Comfort is not a commodity

    See More
  • Dan Holohan October 2014 Author Image

    Help owners understand fuel savings via lower heat complaints, not payback

    See More
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing