Delegating is about Communicating…Not Micromanaging “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” Ronald Reagan
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Delegating effectively can be challenging. The intent is to help a manager give up certain tasks or projects so he or she can leverage time and focus on higher priority items. Over the years I’ve witnessed fewer and fewer organizations taking the time to train new managers on how to delegate. Here’s a case in point: A large organization promoted 10 individual contributors into Director-level positions. The majority had never had support staff and never supervised anyone. One of them said to me ‘I can’t stay on top of everything I have to do…it’s not humanly possible. I don’t know what to give my staff or support person and what not to give them. They’re frustrated and I’m buried. Delegating is about communicating…not micromanaging. So here are 3 basic but important tips that might help: 1 thing to remember – Communicate with expectation. It’s about setting a level of expectation around what you need to have done, why and what the organization is expecting. 2 things to do - Communicate the plan. If you’re not clear about what needs to happen and when, the person receiving the assignment will be confused as well. Part of your plan should include regularly scheduled periodic reviews to see how things are going, enabling the employee to ask clarifying questions that may head off potentially bigger problems down the road. 5 things to cover – Communicate the parameters. You may be familiar with the acronym S.M.A.R.T. used traditionally when setting goals, but it is also true for communicating an assignment. • Specific – use the 5 W’s: who, what, why, when, where. This can also include a history of the project and how it came about in the first place. • Measurable – When and how will both of you know if the assignment has been successfully completed? Have the end in mind. • Achievable – Can it be done in the time period expected? The best way to de-motivate an employee is to assign a project that can’t be realistically achieved. • Relevant – Why and how is the project relevant to the organization, the team, the employee. • Timelined – When will it begin? What are the milestones? When are the regularly scheduled review dates? And remember. Delegating not only helps the manager but it also helps develop employees for future assignments and promotions. © 2008 Cynthia Kyriazis
Productivity Partners, Inc.
913-649-0878
888-482-2688
Productivity Partners, Inc. specializes in helping employees overcome the 24/7 time management and organizing challenges they face in order to improve performance, increase productivity and reduce stress.
PPI assists individuals, teams, and entire companies in gaining confidence and control when it comes to paper, information, time, space and choice management. Offerings include: Onsite workshops Online workshops or webinars Assessments Coaching Consulting Presentations Products
Cynthia Kyriazis started her business in 1992 after 25 years experience in multi-unit operations management. She is an organizing and time management coach, consultant, trainer, speaker and author. Cynthia is past Secretary of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), 2008 President of the International Society for Performance Improvement-Kansas City chapter (KCISPI), a national speaker, and consultant to the American Coaching Association. Cynthia can be reached at Cynthia@ProPartnersInc.com www.ProPartnersInc.com www.Moveyourmindset.wordpress.com Linkedin.com/in/propartnersinc Twitter.com/ProductiveYou GoogleMe Productivity Partners, Inc.
913-649-0878
888-482-2688