Come on, don’t deny it; we’ve all said that at one time or another (yes, under your breath still counts). We know that our job is to get things done – not to do them ourselves. So why do we often end up frustrated when we think something hasn’t been done properly?

The easy answer is that we have employees who don’t have the initiative, skills or experience to do anything except follow instructions. (OK when we’re starting out, not when we’re growing quickly.) But - what about the ones who are giving the instructions (that would be us)? How well do we hold up our end of the deal?

Things don’t get off to a good start if we only delegate when we’re overwhelmed and missing deadlines. We’re probably not communicating effectively then! Bear in mind that if you give someone something to do and they’re not sure what you mean, the chances are that they may not ask questions. (Who wants to look stupid in front of the boss?)

On the other hand telling someone how to do the job in minute detail (the most common mistake we make) is equally unproductive. They’re going to check every step and every decision with us, making for constant interruptions in the work we had to get done in the first place! Added to which they’ll think we’re treating them like an idiot and won’t volunteer their ideas – which may, just may, have been better than ours anyway!

It’s our job to tell the employee what has to be done and when it has to be completed. (Make the deadline clear, up front, and avoid the temptation to change it.) But it’s theirs to decide how to do it. After delegating a job, try asking whoever will be doing it to tell you (in an email or a note) what they think has to be done, the result you want and when you want it completed.

If it’s a job that will take all day have them give you feedback at coffee break, then at lunch time. If it’s going to take a week, support them often in the first couple of days, but remember to back off when you see it’s going well.

If it’s a longer term thing start with a timeline or project plan. Help whoever is responsible to complete it but don’t do it for them (if they can’t finish the timeline that may be a clue about the outcome of the project). Make it clear which decisions they can make on their own – and which they can’t. Put it in writing so they can refer to it when they’re unsure. Stay in touch often until they – and you – gain confidence, then back off. Be prepared for mistakes and ask the people involved why they think things went wrong – don’t tell them.

Sometimes, when the business is under pressure for one reason or another, we ask employees who are competent or knowledgeable in one area of the business (for example collecting receivables) to do something for us in another area (say purchasing). So we skimp on the details of what has to be done and what we expect and leave them to figure it out – after all they’re good at what they’ve been doing, right? Wrong. Asking someone to take control/responsibility for a key function or area without making sure they fully understand what’s required is like putting a teenager in the driver’s seat of a car for the first time and saying drive – on the 401. In effect we are abdicating not delegating.

When you hire or promote supervisors remember that the people you consider must have more than just knowledge and experience of the area they’ll be responsible for - they must be able to delegate and manage other people too. So look for those qualities in the candidates for the job. Visit Jim's web site http://profitpath.ca/ for more information.

© Copyright ProfitPATH, a division of JDS & Associates Inc., 2005

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