10.5 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Pick the Right Player for the Right Job

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Delegating Effectively at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Teaching Your Team to Be More Independent

It's important for managers to be a resource to those they lead. But it's easy for teams to take advantage of this. Over time, they can develop "manager dependency."  Team members often become dependent on their manager because of micromanagement.  Let team members take responsibility and ownership of tasks.

In any team sport, a lot of time is spent choosing the players who will play in each game.  Leaders need to select the right people for the right jobs, and assign them tasks that fit with their skills and proficiencies.  This provides structure.

First you need to understand the game that has to be played and the skills and abilities required to play.  Then you have to place the correct player in the correct position. 

10.4 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Avoiding Micromanagement

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Delegating Effectively at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Micromanagers take perfectly positive attributes to the extreme.  They give great attention to detail and have a hands-on attitude.  Either because they're control-obsessed, or because they feel driven to push everyone around them to success.  Micromanagers risk disempowering their colleagues.  They ruin their colleagues' confidence, hurt their performance, and frustrate them to the point where they quit.

Signs of Micromanagement

Resist delegating

Immerse themselves in overseeing the projects of others

Start by correcting tiny details instead of looking at the big picture

Take back delegated work before it is finished if they find a mistake in it

Discourage others from making decisions without consulting them

Good managers empower their employees to do well by giving opportunities to excel.  Micromanagement restricts the ability of micromanaged people to develop and grow, and it also limits what the micromanager's team can achieve, because everything has to go through him or her.  When a boss is reluctant to delegate, focuses on details ahead of the big picture and discourages his staff from taking the initiative, there's every chance that he's sliding towards micromanagement.

10.3 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: The Delegation Dilemma

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Delegating Effectively at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Sometimes, when you delegate a task, it can actually get done better than you could do it yourself.  Delegation is an area of personal and professional management that many people struggle with.  The difficulty stems from the need to control outcomes and a strongly rooted belief that we know how to do things best.  It's hard to let go of control.

Managers fear the repercussions when an employee fails to complete something correctly or in a timely manner.  The failure might reflect badly on us so we take the path of least resistance.  Rather than working on improving our delegation skills, sometimes we simply keep hold of more tasks.  Being overworked somehow seems less risky than having things done that might not meet our exact requirements.

True delegation means giving up a little of what we would like to hold onto (some measure of control) while keeping what we might prefer to give up (accountability).  By nature we love to keep control. That way we can make sure things are done completely the way we want them done.  It's tempting to want to hold onto control.  Giving up control it often (wrongly) equated with giving up leadership as well.  In fact leadership has much, much more to do with responsibility than authority or control.  Delegation means taking true responsibility and inevitably means giving up some control.

10.2 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Successful Delegation

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Delegating Effectively at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Using the Power of Other People's Help

There is no shame in asking for assistance.  Push aside the pride and show respect for the talent others can bring to the table.  There is no such thing as a single-handed success.

When you include and acknowledge all those in your corner,

you propel yourself, your teammates and your supporters

to greater heights.

– Author Unknown

There’s only a limited amount that you can do if you work on your own.  You can only work so many hours in a day.  There are only so many tasks you can complete in these hours.  This can lead to a real sense of pressure and work overload.  You can't do everything that everyone wants.

One of the most common ways of overcoming this limitation is to learn how to delegate work to other people.  If this is done well, you can quickly build a strong and successful team of people, well able to meet the demands that others place.  Delegation is such an important skill.

It’s important to understand why people avoid delegation.  Delegation allows you to make the best use of your time and skills, and it helps other people in the team grow and develop to reach their full potential in the organization.  Delegation is a win-win when done appropriately.

KEY QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE WHEN DELEGATION IS MOST APPROPRIATE

Is there someone else who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the task?

Essentially is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself?

Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person's skills?

Is this a task that will recur, in a similar form, in the future?

Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively?

Is this a task that I should delegate?

OTHER FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DELEGABILITY OF A TASK

time available to do the job

time to redo the job if it's not done properly the first time

consequences of not completing the job on time

importance of results are of the highest possible quality

Is an "adequate" result good enough?

Crucial of failure

impact of failure on other things

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING TO WHOM TO DELEGATE

knowledge, skills and attitude of the person

time and resources to provide the training needed

independency of the person

The person’s long-term goals and interest

Does the person have time to take on more work?

Will delegating require reshuffling of other responsibilities and workloads

PRINCIPLES TO DELEGATE SUCCESSFULLY

Clearly articulate the desired outcome

Begin with the end in mind

specify the desired results

Clearly identify constraints and boundaries

Identify lines of authority, responsibility and accountability

include people in the delegation process

Empower them to decide what tasks are to be delegated to them and when

Match the amount of responsibility with the amount of authority

delegate some responsibility, can't delegate away ultimate accountability

Delegate to the lowest possible organizational level

people who are closest to the work are best suited for the task

they have the most intimate knowledge of the detail of everyday work

helps to develop people and increases workplace efficiency

Provide adequate support

be available to answer questions

ongoing communication and monitoring

provision of resources and credit

Focus on results

Concern with what is accomplished, rather than detailing how the work should be done

Allow the person to control his or her own methods and processes

facilitates success and trust

Avoid "upward delegation"

ask for recommended solutions, don't simply provide an answer

Build motivation and commitment

Discuss how success will impact financial rewards, future opportunities, informal recognition, and other desirable consequences

Provide recognition where deserved

Establish and maintain control

Discuss timelines and deadlines

Agree on a schedule of checkpoints

review all submitted work

 

Brief your team member appropriately.  Explain:

·        why they were chosen for the job

·        what's expected from them

·        the goals for the project

·        timelines and deadlines and the resources

Agree a schedule for checking-in with progress updates.  Make sure that

·        the team member reports on any problems occur

·        you are available for any questions or guidance

·        you don’t micro-manage

we have to find the sometimes-difficult balance between giving enough space for people to use their abilities to best effect, while still monitoring and supporting closely enough to ensure that the job is done correctly and effectively.

When delegated work is delivered back, set aside enough time to review it thoroughly.  Accept only good quality, fully-complete work.  If not, the team member does not learn to do the job properly.  When good work is returned to you, make sure to both recognize and reward the effort.  Get in the practice of complimenting members of your team every time you are impressed by what they have done.

Delegation can feel like more hassle than it's worth.  Effective delegation can hugely expand the amount of work that you can deliver.  It helps other people to work together on meaningful and challenging assignments.  To delegate effectively, choose the right tasks to delegate, identify the right people to delegate to, and delegate in the right way.

10.1 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: How Well Do You Delegate?

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Delegating Effectively at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Business organizations and teams exist for one reason only: to do jobs that are too large, too complex or too fast-changing for any one individual to do on his or her own.  Assigning work to others is an integral part of getting things done efficiently, however many people feel uncomfortable with delegating.  When you don't delegate you risk ending up with too much work, not enough time, and lots of undue stress.  The belief that you can do it better and faster with fewer mistakes leads to a vicious cycle of too little time and too much to do.  On the other hand, when you delegate, you risk not having the job done properly.

DELEGATE

What and When to Delegate ·        deciding what to can delegate and when ·        points to consider o   enough time to delegate o   able to give sufficient instruction and support as necessary o   enough time to make corrections if needed o   someone is available to do the task o   have people with the necessary skills and expertise o   delegate even more of your lower level work

To Whom to Delegate ·        takes thought and consideration ·        issues when deciding o   Delegate to people who report to you o   If you need to go outside your team, include the other person's manager o   Open communication is important when delegating across functional areas or through different levels of an organization o   Consider staff commitment o   Gain their cooperation and support o   Make them feel more involved and more committed to the results o   think about how many people should be involved and what skills you need

How to Delegate ·        requires crystal clear communication ·        people must know precisely what is expected of them ·        It also requires letting go ·        key things to consider o   tell what need to be accomplished and why it's important o   connect the task to organizational goals o   Plan how to ensure the work is being completed according to plan o   establish checkpoints at the end of project stages o   Manage the risk of mistakes occurring o   Focus on the end result o   allow him or her to determine how best to achieve it o   provide the required support and authority o   Make sure the person understands whether independent initiative is mandatory o   inform the consequences of both successful and unsuccessful results o   inform rewards that can be expect