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also be a demotivational tool. Telling employees you trust
them but then behaving in a way that demonstrates you
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really don t will backfire every time. Delegating results and
not methods is an effective way to send positive messages to
your employee.
Remember, there are other ways to do things than your
way. You have to be willing to give up control, your ego, and
maybe even your righteousness about how things should be
done. Who knows? Your employees may even do it better
than you would have, had you not delegated the assignment
at all. The question is: can you handle that? If not, better
keep on reading. A general rule to keep in mind is to delegate
little things at first and then increase the degree of responsi-
bility as the employee improves and demonstrates the neces-
sary confidence, skills, and motivation.
Some of us will do our jobs well and some
will not, but we will be judged by only
one thing the result.
 VINCE LOMBARDI
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CHALLENGE #30: Setting Clear
Parameters and Expectations
If you are traditionally not one who delegates, but you have
decided that it is a skill you need to develop, there are a few
things you might want to keep in mind. Or if you delegate
routinely, you might find a few techniques here that might
improve your results.
Before delegating a task, it is important to lay out the
guidelines and expectations you have for results. Here are
some of my guidelines for setting expectations and out-
comes:
1. Meet with employees, and ask them if they feel confi-
dent that they can handle the assignment.
2. Ask them what roadblocks they think they might
encounter and how they would handle them.
3. Help them determine what resources might be needed
to carry out the task.
4. Set up midpoint check-in times in advance so they don t
think you are constantly looking over their shoulders
during performance.
5. Establish clear definitions of the results you desire.
6. Determine the boundaries of responsibility.
7. Tell them that you won t be interfering with their
methods as long as they stay within the determined
boundaries.
8. Advise them that they are free to come to you at any
time with questions, suggestions, or feedback.
9. Support their methods, decisions, and processes.
10. Celebrate their successes.
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11. Ask them to give you a review of what they would do
differently if they could begin all over again.
12. Give them an even bigger task the next time.
Remember, the more you can delegate, the more time you
have for your own critical responsibilities as a manager.
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CHALLENGE #31: Giving Authority
with Responsibility
If you want demotivated employees, delegate the responsibil-
ity for a task, project, or assignment to them, and don t give
them the authority to make decisions, use resources, solve
problems, or find creative ways to get it done. This is the fast
track to ensure that you lower morale and diminish your
employee s motivation and commitment to your corporate
mission and purpose.
If you as a manager have ever had a project or process del-
egated to you by your supervisor and been given the respon-
sibility for outcomes, but not the authority to get it done, you
know exactly how your employees feel if you have ever done
that to them. Why would a manager give an employee a task
or responsibility and then not give them the authority to
carry it out? Some reasons include:
" Perceived loss of control
" Concern that it might not be done correctly
" Uneasiness that designees might make a wrong decision
" Fear that they might overextend resources
" Discomfort that they might take too long getting it done
" Worry that they might do a better job than the manager
Let me give you an example of a typical scenario in which
authority is delegated with responsibility:
Bill is a customer service representative for his company.
His manager asked him to solve a problem for one of the
company s biggest customers. Bill s manager told him to do
whatever was necessary to satisfy this customer in this situa-
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tion. Bill waives the shipping costs and restocking fees that
would normally apply, which were a significant amount. The
customer is satisfied and happy to continue doing business
with Bill s company. Bill s manager is proud of this resolution
and tells Bill so. Gain in motivation? Gain in productivity?
Gain in dedication? Yes. Yes. Yes.
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CHALLENGE #32: Refusing to Take It
Back after You Have Delegated It
Managers take things back in subtle and often discreet ways,
and also in overt and blatant ways. In either case, the out-
come is the same: they are telling their employees that they
don t trust them, have confidence in them, or believe in
them. Any of these three is a recipe for short-term and even
long-term disaster.
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