Despite selecting bright and able people, managers often find themselves overloaded with work. It is important to focus on high priority tasks and delegate the rest to the team especially when looking for growth opportunities for the team. Delegation is the way to do it to free up time but often it falls flat in practice.
Many time the manager uses a one size fits all approach. Delegate a task and then leave it to the team member to complete the task or come back with queries if any. This always led to pressure closer to the deadline and ending up doing the work oneself.
What is required is proper planning, anticipating roadblocks en route, alternatives and address them before they occur. Some of the main reasons why delegation fails and how it can be set right.
Lack of critical thinking
many a time the leader, or one of the members is able to breakdown the task into manageable components, drill-down and set up the entire road map in no time. This does not allow others to develop their own skill-set. They also lose confidence in themselves as they are unable to keep up with the leader. Gradually they stop contributing and leave it to be told by the leader the action plan. This could leave the organisation vulnerable.
Instead of providing solutions, ask questions. Open-ended questions allow others to broaden their thinking and look at new angles. This would encourage others to use their skills and develop critical analytical skills.
Lack of initiative
When decisions are top driven the employees often lack to motive to take bold decisions and agree to actions even if they felt incomplete.
This should be addressed tactfully and strategically. Assign dates, action items and ownership during the discussions and followup on the same at the next meeting before new items are taken up. By bringing up sloppy execution and by clarifying what truly matters you can develop accountability and motivate the team members.
Lack of quality
During a meeting, explain clearly what is expected of the members in terms of presentations, reporting, summarising their tasks. Provide them with a list of common mistakes they should avoid, get the team members to discuss and decide on the presentation, reporting format intervening only to ensure it is crisp and easy to understand. Whenever an error is observed, instead of fixing it point it out and ask the team to correct it. This will initially take time but it will save time in the long run as the team understands the requirements. By showing the team where they can improve you will have better quality and more time in future.
Lack of speed
Many a time the leader become impatient with the speed of execution. It is important to understand that he is able to finish faster as he is more experienced, is clear about what is required and does not have to spend time analysing various options. Also, the members would take time as they would like to be seen as more professional in front of the leader.
Ask the person concerned about the time required to finish the task, and if it seems too high, ask about the process and the reasoning. help them shave off time by sharing your experience. You would also become more educated about what and how long it takes to complete a task and adjust your deadlines suitably.
By diving deep into the task and helping the member plan better, address the underlying causes of failure one can encourage the team to be more motivated and productive.
You’re Delegating. It’s Not Working. Here’s Why.
by Sabina Nawaz HBR 2020/11
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