9   HOW TO DELEGATE

WHY DELEGATE?

As managers we can’t do everything ourselves. That’s not what we are hired to do. Our job is to leverage resources at our disposal and orchestrate the successful accomplishment of a variety of activities. Hence, we need to know how to delegate effectively. If it is done well, the benefits are many:

♦   Important tasks are completed efficiently and in a coordinated fashion by various team members;

♦   Valuable time is freed up for higher value-added activities that managers are expected by their bosses to handle; and

♦   It is a great way to develop team members for greater responsibilities.

COMMON PROBLEMS IN DELEGATION

Unfortunately, for all its merits, delegation is frequently not done well. These are some common difficulties faced:

♦   Assignments delegated are either unfulfilled or executed unsatisfactorily;

♦   Managers are unwilling to delegate because they think their people aren’t capable;

♦   Some managers delegate the tasks, and then interfere and micromanage;

♦   Managers fear that they will lose control and power through delegation;

♦   Subordinates are unwilling to accept the responsibilities because they lack confidence and capability;

♦   Some managers view delegation as a legitimate way of getting rid of what they perceive to be low-level and menial tasks that they dump onto subordinates;

♦   When assignments are delegated, managers do not follow up and provide support. Essentially, they abdicate through delegation;

♦   Subordinates lack trust in their managers and are sceptical of their superiors’ ways and intentions (e.g. managers who abandon their team members after delegating and return only to claim credit for themselves when the work’s done);

♦   Subordinates are bitter and unhappy with being part of, or contributing to, the success of the team whose manager was a peer previously.

TWO KEY PRINCIPLES TO BEAR IN MIND

1.   Managers may delegate but they are still responsible for the overall outcome. Hence, they can’t abdicate.

2.   To delegate effectively and responsibly, guidance is required from the managers. The nature of the guidance provided will depend on the tasks and the subordinate’s developmental stage.

HOW TO GUIDE WHEN YOU DELEGATE

When managers delegate, they frequently wonder to what extent they need to stay involved with their subordinates. Should they follow through very closely or should they take a hands-off approach after delegation?

Yet another concern is about being consistent in the way they relate to each subordinate. For instance, if they have decided to do a close follow-up with one subordinate, in the interest of consistency, shouldn’t they apply the same treatment to all the others in the team? This speaks to the time-honoured notion of fairness, i.e. treat everybody the same.

You will have the answers to both questions if you do a diagnosis of the subordinate’s developmental stage before you delegate. A person’s developmental stage depends on the interplay of two factors: skill and will. Let’s now review the following diagram.

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Diagram 9.1: The Skill/Will Matrix1

In this matrix, “skill” will be a composite of a person’s knowledge, training and experience. “Will” depends on the person’s motivation, drive, attitude and ambition.

There are four developmental stages2 as depicted in the diagram. They are as follows:

Developmental Stage One: Low Skill/Low Will

A person at this stage is likely to be someone who does not have the necessary skills and knowledge for the job and hence lacks confidence. She is understandably reluctant as she does not want to come up short of your expectations.

Her needs are two-fold: Firstly the know-how to get things done, and secondly as she starts to make progress, she needs you to let her know that she is meeting your expectations.

The style to adopt towards her is to Direct. Spend time with her and establish a mutual understanding on what the assignment entails. Invite her to share her concerns and assure her that you will provide her the support to get the job accomplished.

Identify an assignment that is relatively straightforward for a start. Brief her thoroughly and give detailed instructions. Follow through closely and provide feedback on how she is doing. You will find that as she progresses, she will lighten up somewhat and become more self-confident. In the next assignment, pick something similar and loosen up a little in terms of supervision. Hopefully, she may move to Stage Two soon.

Someone who is at this stage may possibly be a misfit for the role. If you are convinced that this is the case, it is best to speak to her openly and do what is best for the individual and the company. In some cases, it may be an exit strategy.

Developmental Stage Two: Low Skill/High Will

This person is likely to be a newcomer to the company. Though lacking in knowledge and expertise, she is enthusiastic and is willing to learn. Do note that when a person is overly enthusiastic, she may bite off more than she can chew. She doesn’t know what she doesn’t know.

Her need is to acquire more experience and insights. When you delegate an assignment to such a person, the aim is to provide her more exposure and challenges so that she will acquire greater maturity in judgment.

The approach to take towards her is to Guide. This is a blend of providing the know-how while broadening her awareness of important factors to consider. Encourage her to ask questions. Invite suggestions from her, and provide her some room to make mistakes in a safe way. In other words, create conditions for her to learn from the school of hard knocks, so to speak.

Developmental Stage Three: High Skill/Low Will

At this developmental stage, the subordinate has acquired considerable knowledge and competence. While you are convinced that she is ready for bigger things, she may not think so. There may be a variety of reasons for this. One possibility is that the subordinate now realizes that with the experience acquired, her boss has higher expectations and will expect more. Another possibility may be that the subordinate may have recently suffered a set-back in her work and is still smarting from it. In both instances, she is starting to have self-doubts.

Her need is to acquire or regain self-confidence. The style to adopt towards her is to Support. This means encouraging her and giving her the boost that she will need. There is really no need to provide more know-how. She’s got this already.

Developmental Stage Four: High Skill/High Will

With the passage of time, the subordinate has achieved considerable success and self-confidence. Not only is she capable, she is also someone whom others look up to. You have a lot of respect for her judgment and are convinced that she can operate independently. In fact, you would like her to take on even larger responsibilities. Possibly, she may be ready to be promoted.

At this stage, such a person needs more challenging projects. She is keen to prove that she is ready for a bigger role. To spur her further, identify stretch assignments for her. Allow her room to operate autonomously and have full accountability. The style to adopt is to Empower.

HOW TO DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY

You will find yourself delegating more effectively when you:

♦   Know each of your subordinates. What are their experiences and expertise? Identify their individual developmental stages.

♦   Identify an assignment that will match your subordinate’s developmental stage. The assignment should facilitate her growth in terms of equipping her with more skills and/or will.

♦   Have a conversation with the subordinate. Discuss the requirements and ensure an alignment in expectations is achieved.

♦   Highlight the developmental nature of the assignment. For instance, this may require her to work with co-workers in other functions. By taking this on, it will sharpen her ability to influence without formal authority. Gauge her willingness and appetite for this assignment. Secure her buy-in and commitment.

♦   Discuss how you will support her. Agree on the frequency of progress reviews.

♦   Debrief at the end of the assignment. Extract the lessons learnt. Celebrate your subordinate’s success.

 

See Appendix One for an example of how one manager first diagnoses his subordinate’s developmental stage and then identifies an assignment that will accelerate her growth. Now, back to the point about treating everybody the same. Should you interact with all your subordinates the same way then?

The answer is clearly a “No”. When it comes to delegation and development, treat your people as individuals. Remember the maxim: “Different strokes for different folks.”

LET GO AND LET GROW

When your people are running into some difficulties, as a good boss, you may be tempted to jump in and provide relief. But pause and think before reacting. Remind yourself that by intervening too quickly to save your people, you may be stunting their growth.

Picture yourself teaching a three-year-old child to ride a bike. Will he ever learn to ride confidently on his own if you are always there holding on? Learning comes only after some falls and bruises are sustained.

“A gem cannot be polished without friction; nor a man perfected without trials.”
—Old Chinese saying

Do expect that there will be delays and productivity losses at the beginning when your subordinates are doing something new. Have faith and exercise patience. Do you believe in them? Make no mistake about it. This is as much a test for you as it is for them.

DON’T CARRY YOUR SUBORDINATES’ MONKEYS3

There will be subordinates who have a habit of attempting upward delegation. For instance, the moment they run into some difficulty, they will come running to you for help.

Be wary of this. Some managers do not handle this well. Flattered by the pleas for help, they willingly take on what is rightfully the subordinates’ responsibility. Suddenly, like a monkey, the assignment leaps from the subordinate’s shoulder to the boss’s. Before long, other subordinates will get wind of how kind and helpful the boss. That’s when the boss will have a whole zoo of wild animals leaping on his or her back.

Learn to recognize when someone is about to pass his monkey to you. Do not instinctively say, “Okay, let me look into this and I’ll get back to you.” Instead, say this, “Let’s figure out what you can do on your own to tackle this challenge.”

There are of course times when your people really need your help because a particular issue is just too tough for them to handle on their own. Once you are convinced about this, help them by all means. But do get them involved so that they can learn how to tackle this the next time. This is another opportunity to develop your people.

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♦   Managers need to delegate so that they can be more effective in discharging their responsibilities. It is also a good way of developing their people.

♦   To delegate effectively and responsibly, guidance is required from the managers. The nature of the guidance depends on the tasks and the subordinate’s development stage. Apply different strokes for different folks.

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Q1:   Assess the developmental stages of your subordinates.

Q2:   What is your delegation strategy to help them develop further?