Delegating is Elevating

“The surest way for an executive to kill himself is to refuse to learn how and when and to whom to delegate work.” James Cash Penney, founder of J.C. Penny

On November 24, 2019 I wrote Micromanaging Diminishes Everyone to talk about the causes and effects of micromanaging. Micromanaging is usually driven by the boss’ distrust or dislike of an employee, or the boss’ personal insecurity. Micromanaging’s negative impact on the team ripples out beyond its target to include other employees who observed or heard about this behavior. Everyone is impacted. The person on the opposite side of the spectrum is a good delegating boss. The November article reads, “A boss empowers others to solve problems, be creative and develop competence. The boss is the only person who can do it, it cannot be delegated, and it won’t happen on its own.” Delegating work strengthens an organization by building the individuals who work in it and delegating creates time for the leader to focus on the most important work. 

When asked about delegating, leaders usually lament the feeling that they are giving up control as a reason for holding tightly to tasks or micromanaging. These same leaders are suffering in their roles which is why they were a part of the study in the first place. In December 2017, Baljit Singh wrote the poem, Control is an illusion suggesting that the people depending on leaders built an illusion of power within that leader that he did not have. The same scenario plays out each day at workplaces around the country, and likely the world. It is the boss’ job to build others, not get caught up in the deference of others or to be the master of his occupational universe. You are in control of less than you think, and by refusing to delegate, you are demonstrating a weakness in yourself that others clearly see. Effective delegation demonstrates strength.

Best selling author and leadership expert, Harvey Mackay, says, “Delegating work doesn’t mean passing off work you don’t enjoy, but letting your employees stretch their skills and judgement.” If at first delegating work is difficult that’s okay, comfort will come with time. So will the skill to delegate the right work to the right people and set them up for success. At times you will delegate work by skillset meaning the employee is highly skilled in the task to be completed. Other times you will delegate a task that is outside of a person’s skillset to build capacity in that employee. This is okay too. The leader will determine when and to whom tasks are delegated and why. If done properly and with purpose, the organization grows as a result of the leader's effort. Here are a few things to remember.

You were not perfect, and neither are they. It does not matter how good you thought you were at a job or how inferior (to you) you think the current person is, you were not perfect. If you could go into your boss’ head while you had that job you’d know exactly how imperfect you were. Give them some slack and ability to learn. Perfection is not necessary for most tasks, only the successful completion. You were not perfect and do not have all of the answers, when you try to communicate that you are more than you are, your team reads it as insecurity. Give them space and allow them to do it their way. If teaching is necessary after a spill, then teach and give them space. 

Give good instructions with all information, check-ins, and completion time. Usually, the biggest problems come from people working without enough instruction. Either the employee will think they know, or the leader will believe they have communicated it clearly, and the employee will work toward what they thought to be true resulting in mistakes where both parties believe the other is at fault. The way to avoid this problem? Say it, say it, and say it again. You can ask the employee to summarize it for you to be sure you are on the same page. Also, having checkpoints prior to the deadline is a good way to ensure the employee is on the right track. Being clear about the deadline is essential to timely and successful completion. 

Offer support. No one succeeds alone. As you climbed the rungs of the organizational chart, you ran into challenges. Chances are, your employees are running into them too. If you know of these hurdles, tell your employees about them and offer tips to help clear each one. Do you have resources? Do you know people or websites that the employee would find useful? Do you have the spreadsheet? Do what you can to make their lives easier and they will do what they can to make yours easier so dig into your bag of tricks and help them. It's good for them, you, and the organization. 

Celebrate success. People like to know that their work is seen and appreciated. As the difficulty of the task increases, so should the acknowledgement of its successful completion. The boss’ approval means a lot to each person on the team, it also means a lot to the people watching and to the people who hear about it. A boss who drives employees like mules then soaks up all the credit drains the team. Look for ways to celebrate them, your approval is their fuel, keep their tanks full and they will give you their best work. When their tank is empty, avoidable problems dominate your time. Fuel them up! 

Former U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, businessman, attorney, and author, Byron Dorgan, once said, “You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.” The leader is responsible for everything, no matter who is doing it or where. This is true even during a shelter in place order due to a pandemic. People at home, working in organizational capacities need to be challenged. They also need support and encouragement. Delegating provides opportunities to get work done while satisfying the needs of everyone. Leadership responsibility means that you cannot point the finger at your reports and cast blame their way. Their work is a reflection of your work with them. If they are not successful, it is because you were not a successful leader to them, so give them your time, and guidance. Their success is more satisfying than the ego satisfaction that comes from micromanagement. Soon, you’ll see your people stretching themselves and growing the team and organization. When that happens, you will SOAR!

William A. Brown

May 24, 2020

https://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/7-strategies-to-delegate-better-and-get-more-done.html 

http://www.soarsuccessfully.com/articles-details.php?id=59

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