The Art of Delegation

According to most management publications, the primary responsibility of the manager is to get work done through other people. Too many times, the art of delegation is not looked upon as a most positive experience. It is considered “dumping” by many, and the reason for this attitude by the employee is the method in which the delegated assignment is presented. As a good chef would say, “it is all in the presentation”. In other words, the key to delegation is communication and training.

Practicing effective delegation is what makes delegation an art as opposed to a science. It is the most important if not the most effective technique for getting work done through other people. Hence the definition of effective delegation is the act of giving someone else the responsibility and authority to carry out an assignment or to represent you or your organization in a specific role. Some people expand the definition to include the sharing of responsibilities with others in the company where it is appropriate and logical.

It is important that you, the manager, has the right attitude in delegating. You must be willing to spend the time training people. You must remove the fear that often presents itself when you train someone to do exactly what you do. The fear that you will be replaced.

The truth is that effective delegation leads to opportunities for you, as well as your people. Most managers fail to monitor delegation because they don’t realize the importance of delegation in terms of the development of their people. The employee is anxiously awaiting direction, and if needed, additional training. People want to feel empowered and delegating brings you an excellent opportunity to do just that! It is important that you make feedback specific to behavior. You must make sure that the person to whom you are delegating takes ownership in terms of accountability and responsibility. Effective leadership generates productivity. The development of your staff can bring pain as well as joy. Delegation is one of the most valuable instruments to help initiate change.

Delegation is a skill that needs to be learned and developed. Most inexperienced managers have the most difficulty in mastering delegation skills. Be patient and as Vince Lombardi says, “Practice. . .Practice. . .Practice!” Success runs on empowerment of people, and empowerment runs on delegation. Looks like it's time to start delegating!

Employees Want Good Management

A recent poll of the employees demonstrated that the most important thing to people at work is good management (36%). The employee also found that the respect of colleagues was very important (26%). Money, benefits, learning skills, and having fun in the workplace were far behind.

Our company, Innovative Leadership, focuses the majority of our training and development programs on the front line supervisor or manager. The roles and responsibilities of any supervisor or manager have changed over the years and it is important for companies to realize that the middle management of their organization is the real “glue” that holds the company together.

• Management today must learn to focus on the “bigger picture and translate the company’s goals into meaningful steps or action plans.
• Management must make sure the worker today is both engaged and responsive to change
• Management must also learn the legal do’s and don’ts of supervising to avoid legal mistakes that can cost them and their companies financial losses and embarrassment.
• Management must help elevate morale and retain the high achieving worker
• Management must be good decision-makers and problem solvers to enable them to give the proper direction

Management must also provide a leadership focus. Success must be viewed as a journey and it is the responsibility of management today to demonstrate the skill sets and competencies relating to:

• Talent Management
• Strategic Business Development
• Change Management
• Productivity and Performance
• Implementation with measured results
• Leadership Development

It is important to realize that in today’s workplace, 85% of employees are giving a less than average performance. Management’s primary role in the workplace is the development of people by helping them reach their potential. The most important factor in the workplace today is to engage the worker by providing a better understanding and clear definition of the direction of the company and future strategy.

We need to finally realize that strategy plus people equals success and your middle management team is the one that can ensure that the summation of the two is achieved. Our courses and workshops teach mangers the skill-sets and competencies that compliment the foundation elements to leadership and produce the desired results. We do things differently and the outcome is defined upfront. Call now for more information on our Leadership and Management Development Process at 609.390.2830.