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The other day I had the opportunity to present the opening keynote session at the Lavacon\/PMI GNO 2009 Event in New Orleans. I talked a lot about leadership.\u00a0\u00a0 Whether you are leading a large program, a small project, or a division staff of 200 – your leadership skills, or lack thereof, will define your success.\u00a0 I shared my insights on how to LEAD, using four simple strategies:\u00a0 L<\/strong>isten, E<\/strong>ncourage, A<\/strong>ct and D<\/strong>elegate.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Did you know Delegation is about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?<\/p>\n This past summer I introduced a new opportunity to my 15-year old son Geoff.\u00a0 I informed him that he was officially responsible for preparing dinner for the family every Wednesday evening.\u00a0 My rationale?\u00a0 He is the only boy of five children and I did not want him to grow up believing females will always be around to prepare his meals.\u00a0 He is also a strapping young man, with an insatiable appetite; I want to make sure Geoff is more than capable of preparing his own meals before he leaves the family nest.<\/p>\n I gave him clear expectations.\u00a0 I told him that dinner is at 7pm.\u00a0 He is free to prepare meals of his choice. If he needs ingredients, he needs to let me know the day before so I can get him everything his recipe requires.<\/p>\n The first month, we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.\u00a0 By the end of the 1st<\/sup> month, we graduated to grilled cheese.\u00a0 Over the summer, Geoff gradually gained more confidence in his culinary ability; he recently cooked us steaks on the grill, with baked potatoes and Caesar salad.\u00a0 Last week, while in the car, he expressed his interest to pursue culinary arts after graduating high school.<\/p>\n It has been amazing to watch Geoff gain self-confidence in himself over the past few months.\u00a0 When originally given the assignment, he was less than pleased.\u00a0 Yet gradually, as each week passes, Geoff flourishes; he now looks forward to being resident chef on Wednesday evenings.<\/p>\n The key to success?\u00a0 You must be willing to eat a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to promote growth and development among your teammates.<\/p>\n Remember, delegation needs to happen on a regular basis; make sure you delegate assigned tasks at every meeting.\u00a0 Delegate with clear expectations, so the assignment is clearly understood.\u00a0 Be certain to delegate across your constituency \u2013 do not play favorites.\u00a0 Balanced delegation will allow you and your team to find economies of scale \u2013 quite important in todays challenged economy.<\/p>\n Bon appetite!<\/p>\n