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BEYOND
THE “DO’S AND DON’TS” OF DELEGATION
by Donna M. Genett, Ph.D.
I’ll be honest. While I’m
usually excited to get a request to write an article, excitement wasn’t
the reaction I had when I was asked to write one on the “Do’s and Don’ts
of Delegation.” It seemed to me the six steps outlined in the book
addressed these tactical aspects, so I wasn’t sure how to write an
article without sounding redundant.
I struggled with the idea so
much that I procrastinated writing until my guilt overcame me. As I
typically do when I’m stuck with something, I ran the idea through my
head while I ran the pavement one morning, then it came to me. If I
wanted the message to go beyond the prescriptive, then I needed to give a
deeper look into delegation behaviors. In other words, I needed to write
about the beliefs that motivate what people do and don’t do when
delegating.
Our beliefs are incredibly
powerful; they drive our behavior. In fact, they can be so powerful they
also affect the behavior of others. All of us have seen examples of this
with self-fulfilling prophecies—instances in which people have conformed
to our beliefs about them. Since our behaviors flow directly from our
beliefs, we must uncover these beliefs in order to change our behaviors.
The following are some of the beliefs I’ve heard people express. These
beliefs reveal the typical mistakes people make when delegating.
1. If you want something done
right you have to do it yourself. This belief leads people to hold on to too much. If they do
delegate they often do so in a way that facilitates failure rather than
success. This belief, probably more than any other, becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy. Unfortunately, people who cling to this belief
often become an organizational bottleneck. Everything has to be done by,
or through, them.
2. If you’re a manager you know
how to delegate. From
18 years of consulting and management experience I can tell you, there
are more managers who do not know how to delegate than who do. Many know
pieces of what effective delegation is but there are few who know, and
actively practice, every step involved in the process.
3. The best reason to delegate is
to get something off our desk. The best reason to delegate is to facilitate the growth and
contribution of others. The more we use delegation as a tool for
professional growth, the more likely it is our delegatee
will be motivated to do a good job with what we delegate.
4. People don’t care; they just
work for a paycheck. Good
performers work to make a contribution. It’s up to the managers and
leaders of an organization to create an environment in which people can
contribute their utmost. Sure, there are employees who just work for a paycheck.
If they’re good performers, maybe that isn’t all bad. The best performers
though, work to make a contribution.
5. If I state my expectations,
people should just get it. There are many reasons people don’t “get it”. Maybe we didn’t
completely or clearly outline our expectations. Maybe their minds were
elsewhere. Maybe they were so eager to fulfill our request they didn’t
listen to the entire message. The bottom line is unless, and until, we
view communication as a two-way street, we’ll continue to have
misunderstandings at best and poor performance at worst. Two-way
communication means ensuring our expectations were not only clearly
stated but fully understood as well.
6. If someone doesn’t understand,
they should ask questions. This is one of the beliefs I had when I was new to management. Boy
was I wrong. Just as there are many reasons people don’t get it, there
are many reasons people don’t ask questions. Often they don’t ask,
because they think they get it! Taking the initiative to ask questions
and check in with people builds the rapport necessary for people to feel
comfortable asking you questions and models the behavior you want from
them.
7. People should have the same
sense of urgency I have.
People do not have the same sense of urgency you have because they are
seeing the world through their eyes rather than yours. The trick here is
to work with people to prioritize. Priorities shift so rapidly and
compete so vigorously, it’s difficult for even the best managers to keep
up. In such a fast-changing environment, how can we expect people
who are removed from where priorities are set to know what the current
priority is? It’s up to us to either ask them their thoughts (which helps
us assess their business acumen) or tell them what the priorities are.
8. People should know when to
take initiative and when not to. I find this belief particularly interesting
because it is most often asked by those managers who tend to jump in and
take over. If you’re a manager with this tendency, you can’t have your
cake and eat it too. If you jump in and take over, people will learn to
go to you. On the other hand, if you ask people questions rather than
giving them the answer, they’ll be more likely to take initiative. The
level of authority you assign also affects the amount of initiative a delegatee will take. If you don’t convey what level
of authority people have, some will go further than you want and some
will not go far enough, based on their own risk tolerance. If you clarify
what level of authority they have, they’ll be more likely to demonstrate
the initiative that corresponds to that level of authority.
9. Once I delegate I shouldn’t
have to follow-up or “baby-sit” people. Not! Following up with people is not
babysitting. Following up, or as I prefer to call it, “checking in with”
(versus “checking up on”) people gives them a chance to clarify areas
they’re confused about and gives you a chance to ensure what you’ve
delegated is getting done right the first time.
10. People should just know whether
or not they did a good job. Sometimes they do, often times they don’t. People have varying
degrees of self-confidence. Those who are very confident tend to believe
they did a good job (whether or not that’s true). Those who are not so
confident tend to believe they didn’t do a good job (whether or not
that’s true). Providing feedback about what your delegatee
did well and what they could have done better will provide them with an
accurate appraisal of their performance and allow you to either applaud
their success or outline your expectations for improvement.
11. If people work longer hours,
they’re more committed and more productive. This belief really gets me. I’ve seen people
who are masters at looking busy but never accomplish a thing. Hours
worked is not a direct correlation to productivity. In fact, it sometimes
is an inverse correlation. For example, studies have demonstrated that
with burnout, people spend more time being less productive. Focusing on
results versus hours is the way to ensure employees are committed and
productive.
These are just a few of the
beliefs that get in the way of effective delegation. Which of these do
you hold and how do they affect your behavior? How could you change your
beliefs and how would that affect your delegation practices? What beliefs
do you hold that aren’t listed here? Uncovering and challenging our
beliefs is the key to understanding and modifying our behaviors. When we
change what we do, others will change what they do. As Gandhi so aptly
put it, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.
Share
your beliefs! If there’s a belief you have that isn’t listed here and you
would like some feedback on it, email me at Donna@WantItDoneRight.com
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Donna M. Genett, Ph.D., is an
author, international speaker, and organizational psychologist. If You
Want It Done Right, You Don't Have to Do It Yourself! The Power of
Effective Delegation (Quill Driver Books, 800-497-4909, www.WantItDoneRight.com) has
been translated into 13 languages. Her latest book, Help Your Kids Get
It Done Right at Home and School: Building Responsibility and Self-Esteem
in Children is groundbreaking in its application of the management
parable format to a book for parents and teachers.
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