To Delegate or Not...That is the Question

 Delegation of responsibilities, or getting your work accomplished by others is a skill that all managers need to practice consistently and successfully.    The all too familiar cry however, "it's just easier to do it myself".  The result is burned out managers who take responsibility for everything and demoralized subordinates who feel their boss doesn't trust them with greater responsibility.    Being a good delegator requires skills that many of us will need to learn; it takes us out of our comfort zone in order that we can assume the true responsibilities of supervision and leadership.  

Here are a few things you will need to learn to do well in order to have your delegation of tasks work well.

1.  Take the time to train people to do tasks that can be delegated.  It is easier to delegate when you feel confident that the work will be done satisfactorily.  Don't stretch subordinates with work beyond their capability;  it's setting them up for failure.  But you do need to be good at assessing skills and training to fill in the knowledge gaps.

2.  Remember that there is always more than one way to effectively complete a task.   Your subordinate may help you see a way to "work smarter".   Sometimes to delegate, means to give up control and allow the knowledge of others to be expressed.

3.  Match the person to the job requirements.  Sounds obvious, no?   But a lot of times we don't identify tasks for delegation in a way which makes professional sense.   Rather, for example, we dump jobs on to others simply because we don't like to do those particular tasks.  That's not fair and it's not professional.  

4.  Keep your own needs for perfection in check.   If your attitude is that "no one can do it better than I can" you can't delegate successfully.

5.  As a general rule, tasks that you delegate should meet the following criteria:

• things that divert your attention from the work you really should be doing
• tasks that don't require your personal attention
• tasks that another person on your team can handle
• tasks that will enhance the reputation of others on the team when they complete them successfully. 

6.  There are also some general rules around which tasks you should NOT delegate.  For example:

• don't delegate a job that will directly impact your own welfare or the welfare of your work team if it is not completed satisfactorily
• don't delegate a task that your boss has asked you to handle personally
• don't delegate a task that requires special credentials or licensing that only you have.

Strong leaders delegate.  Through the delegation of responsibility, you will achieve your goals and contribute to the personal growth of others.  And....maybe you'll get home in time for dinner.  

Healthier Workplaces has a complete training project on how to delegate tasks successfully, as well as on other responsibilities of leadership.  Why re-invent the wheel.  Give us a call at 877-872-6195.

 

Strategies to Carve Birds out of Wooden Blocks

by Larry Wenger

It’s been an observation of mine that one of the biggest problems facing organizations is that we don’t get the most out of the employees we have.   We put up with negative attitudes and mediocre performance.   It’s complicated because on the one hand, the employee themselves must take some responsibility for their own performance. On the other hand, if leadership doesn’t identify the strengths that employees have; if employees are not respected; if they aren’t challenged; if they aren’t trained and given clear feedback, positive and negative, then leaders are responsible when the work done by employees is half-hearted, sprinkled with mistakes and generally much less than it could be.

 A current TV ad for a local senior center prompted me to reflect on this problem. The ad is trying to convey the creative energy that living at this senior center makes possible. The ad shows a man putting the finishing touches on a hand carved wooden bird; it really is a great accomplishment. The ad concludes with the carver saying, “I can hardly look at a block of wood without seeing a bird in it.”

And therein lies the issue. When we think about our employees do we see a block of wood or a bird.   At the point they were hired, we saw a bird…we felt like there was a reason to believe that they could make a beautiful contribution to our organization. But something happened…or maybe a series of things. We saw their mistakes; it dawned on us that they weren’t perfect. So what do we do about it?

When it comes to our employees, we do not have a good track record for making birds out of wood blocks. I know, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of commitment and determination. But I think it can be done. Here are seven tips that can help ensure success: (1) start early; don’t overlook those first mistakes. Performance problems, like cut fingers, heal themselves best when cared for promptly. (2) Make sure you know the employee…their likes and dislikes; their personal interests; their professional strengths and weaknesses.   (3)Restate your commitment to their success.   (4) Provide coaching-oriented supervision…frequently, and make other resources available, like specialized training. (5) Be specific about how you want the employee to behave. (6) Specify a timeline by which you want to see improvement. (7) Be clear about what the consequences will be if the improvement does not happen.

Why did you hire this person in the first place? What was that special characteristic that made you think they could contribute. Find that characteristic, carve it out of the clutter. It’s still there, even though hard to find.  It will be worthwhile cause everyone wins.