Recommended Resources
"Delegating Work"
Harvard
Business School
Press "The Busy Manager's Guide to Delegation" Luecke and McIntosh
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| Ask The Performance Doctor |  | Ask your question to The Performance Doctor and we will feature it in an upcoming edition.
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Motivating Wellness at Work Tel: (410) 583-1847
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| Ask Bev, the Performance Doctor |
Dear Performance Doctor:
 I work in a high pressure environment and we have just lost
two of our staff. I think I have an
excellent team but I've always felt that if I want something done right, I needed
to do it myself. My staff has been very
open that they are very willing to relieve me of some responsibilities but I
quasi-delegate to them. I keep checking on how the project is going and
frankly, I don't know what I should be delegating and what holds me back in
"relinquishing control." Can you suggest
some solutions? |
| Your Solution |
You are not alone in your difficulty in delegating
responsibilities - at least you have this self-awareness and the luck of a
trusting team who tells you what they need. "The best executive is the one who
has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and enough self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do
it" Theodore Roosevelt. When people walk into my clinic with delegation problems, we
look at what delegation means to them, what tasks can be delegated easily, the
potential advantages of delegation , the roadblocks that are holding them back
and the techniques of how to delegate. Delegation is when a manager or leader
transfers authority or shares authority and the responsibility that goes with
it to an employee or subordinate. Delegation is not just telling people what to
do. With new responsibilities, there must be the authority to carry the tasks out but all must retain accountability for the outcome.
Like any supervisory
skill, there are many background facts we need to learn. There are definite
advantages to being a stellar delegator but one needs to know what to delegate
and how.
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Time is your most
precious commodity. No matter how hard you try, you can't do everything by
yourself. But many supervisors avoid
delegating responsibilities and the reasons for this vary.
Which rings true for
you?- Need for power/control
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Feeling a sense of insecurity
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Not used to delegating
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"If you want something done right, do it yourself" mentality
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Fear being outshined by their employee
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Fear of subordinate failure (distrust)
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Situational constraints
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Non-availability of time
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The nature of the job - confidential information
So what characteristics
are needed to delegate effectively?
What are the benefits
to the supervisor of effective delegation?
Shift workload around to free up time for management
Get different views on issues
Create an atmosphere of trust and respect
Gives your employees something fun and interesting to do
Better time management
Boost employee moral
Job enrichment and learning opportunities
Helps in identifying potential leaders
Improves team building
Employees learn to take responsibility and learn from
mistakes
Employees are better equipped to handle new issues
In general, what
kinds of tasks should a supervisor delegate?
Tasks better done by subordinates
Urgent, not high
priority tasks
Tasks relevant to a subordinate's career
Tasks of appropriate difficulty
Both pleasant and unpleasant tasks
Tasks not central to the manager's role
Finally, what are
some things that should not be delegated?
Never delegate sensitive projects to your employees
If you are in charge of the project because of your
expertise, you should complete it yourself
If the project is confidential in any way, be very careful
about outsourcing the work.
Whatever your feelings, as a manager you need to realize
that you are a coach. Coaches must understand the importance of teaching,
motivating and taking pride in the performance of their charges. To do this,
you must learn how to delegate efficiently and responsibly.
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| Performance Check-Up | |
Has this discussion made you think you might need more help
on how you are delegating and what mistakes need to be avoided? Reflect on these issues as next month we will
continue this discussion with lessons on "Delegation as a Leadership Style:
Tips for the Engaged Delegator."
If you would like to discuss your delegation
challenges, call the Performance Doctor, Bev Rosen at (410) 583-1847 for some
FREE expert advice.
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Until next month, this is the Performance Doctor from Motivating Wellness at Work signing off.
Bev Rosen, MSW, MBA Motivating Wellness at Work |
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