They say that management can be a lonely place. A manager has to lead from the front, make challenging demands of their people and if part of an organisation, pass on the dictats of the more senior and remote bosses up at the top.

Yet, a manager has the accountability to deliver – in fact that’s what they get paid for, so ultimately, they must be the one who puts in the most effort to make their workplace deliver, or else.

When a manager tries to delegate, their people don’t always do as they wish for and sometimes that can lead to even more work. So often, managers fall back on that tried and trusted worker who they know will do it just right, at least in their eyes, because that trusted worker is themselves. And that’s hard.

So, to make sure that the work they pass down to their people is delivered, there are some ways to make it happen:-

   1. Agree Standards

      Standards of output and performance are vital in any organisation, business or team, yet these need to be communicated very openly to all of the people with whom managers work.

      Yet a step beyond it being a communication exercise is to have their people involved in deciding what standards operate in their team.

   2. Have Clear Expectations

      When passing work on, managers need to be clear in how they express and will measure the final result. Without this, those delegated to will not have a clear measure to work towards. These expectations need to be clear on both sides and this checked closely.

   3. Test Understanding

      Sometimes though, what seems to be clear is only clear on one side, that of the person passing on the job in hand. So it is very important that what they understand to be expected is also what the job ‘doer’ understands as well.

      Sometimes, just simply, and in a friendly way, asking for the recipient to repeat back what the expected out come measures will be is enough.

   4. Show the Way

      When managers manage, except in the minority of cases, they intimidate their people. It may be they are great managers, but the role is the bit that intimidates, so their people may be reluctant to ask for help in a task they are given.

      Managers need to be aware of this and ensure that they help their people succeed by showing them the way. It may be literally showing how a taks needs to be done and the expected outcome. It may be sharing some tactics or skills.

      Not only is this likely to result in success, but it develops the culture of the team in such a way that sharing and supporting become the way things are done.

   5. Seek Feedback

      When individuals take on new and often challenging tasks, they need some nurturing. By building in regular progress meetings, especially at the start of a project or delegated task, the feeling of exposure can be lessened.

      Sure people need their hands held a little, but this is not forever. As they succeed more they will learn that they ‘can’ and this will become less of a requirement.

   6. Measure Progress

      When new tasks are taken on, it is important for a manager to show that real and vital progress is being achieved, however small or slow this is. The achievement, step-by-step is energising and those developing new skills and expertise will benefit hugely from the recognition that they are getting somewhere, wherever it is!

   7. Be Available

      Getting together with your people when they are in a learning phase is important formally, yet there is also a real benefit in a manager’s easy access in an ad hoc way as well.

      In fact the cultural value in their recognising when someone in the team, whilst in the learning phase especially, needs urgent support is very valuable. Clearly this needs some control, but, especially when in the early stages, it will be worth the effort.

   8. Accept Failures (and Learn!)

      Sometimes things go wrong. Mistakes happen. A manager who is prepared to appreciate this is likely to get the best support from their people. Especially when asking them to take some of the load on for delivery of the high standards they expect.

      Be generous when people make mistakes in their learning and enable them to appreciate it as just that – part of the learning experience – and gain additional value from it.

   9. Praise a Job Well Done

      When managers delegate the work they would usually do themselves, it is a calculated risk. The people they choose to develop in this way, are moving forward with their skills and experience and becoming far more valuable in the workplace – as well as themselves getting much more from their work.

      Yet there is nothing an individual loves more than praise and ‘thank you’ for a job well done. It gives them a warm feeling of success and recognition and they are then ready for more!

  10. Encourage Onward Delegation

      Finally, with the experience that they have been able to successfully take on a bigger role in the task they have delivered well, they can pass on this skill of being 'upgraded' to others they work with - so not only does the boss get a life, then their people start to as well.

This is not just about delegation. It is about developing a capable bunch of people who are enhancing their skills and releasing their own potential. It works in many ways, so that everyone, as well as the boss, is a winner.

Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, executives and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)

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