Posts Tagged ‘delegating’

Ask any successful person what helped them to be a success and you will no doubt find them talking about the host of people who helped them along the way.

At some level we all understand that if we are going to achieve to anything like our true potential we are going to have to enlist the help of others and trust them. Despite this level of understanding, we still see managers not delegating effectively or at all.

So what might be stopping you from delegating as a manager?

It Will Be Quicker To Do It Myself

Okay let’s be totally honest, at this precise moment in time you probably could do it quicker yourself and maybe also for the next few times as well. On the other hand, doing the task that could easily be done by someone other than you is eating into your ultimate limiting factor called time.

Remember that showing someone else is a one time investment of time that pays back over and over again.

They Won’t Do It As Well As Me

Again, short term you might be absolutely right. On the other hand they might actually do it even better. Take technology as an example. People of a certain age were brought up with technology and often know more shortcuts than you.

They Will Do It Better Than Me

In this situation you might worry about looking incompetent or not up to the job. Looking at it differently however, the role of the manager is to focus on what they do best and to unlock the potential in others. If they can do it better than you, give it to them. It’s called good management.

They Will Let Me Down

Ask any manager and I bet they will be able to recount a time when they delegated something that all went wrong. On reflection they generally realise that there were a whole host of factors that contributed to the failing. Giving the message, “You will let me down”, is akin to saying to someone, “I don’t trust you”. Hardly a message you want to give or one your people want to hear.

I Will Look Incompetent

It is one of the biggest myths around that to be a successful manager you need to be brilliant at everything. Look at sports as an example. Many mediocre players go on to be great coaches or managers while many who are brilliant players then struggle. The thing to remember is that what you are judged on ultimately is your ability to deliver results through others and that’s what management is all about.


The Bottom Line: The most successful managers focus on their priorities and on being great managers. Don’t let your ego or self-doubt stop you from delegating and get the results you know you can deliver.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people to become highly effective managers. He invites you to sign up for his free e-course, Management Mastery, at www.goalsandachievements.co.uk.

Every good manager and leader knows the results that they achieve are to a large extent influenced by their ability to bring out the best in others.

Despite this, many managers and leaders fail to delegate effectively. Why is this?

Excuse 1: It takes too long

• Let’s be honest, it does require an investment of time. The key thing to remember is that it is a one-off investment of time that pays back over and over again.

Excuse 2: They might mess up

• True, they might not do it perfectly. On the other hand, they are never going to get any better at it if you keep doing it. We can all watch someone else doing something but the real learning comes from having a go.

Excuse 3: They might do it better than me

• Yes, they might and, if this is the case, then it is proof that you should not be doing it in the first place. Take a spreadsheet as an example: the younger generation have been brought up with them. The chances are they can do that spreadsheet report better than you if you are of a certain age. Don’t try to stop them; use the asset at your disposal.

The truth is, delegating can be tough. At the same time, if you want to thrive and prosper as a leader or manager, you want to get highly effective in this area.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

As a manager or leader, trying to do it all alone is a recipe for disaster. So what are some signs to be alert to if you think you might be becoming the lone ranger?

1. A never ending To Do List.
2. Carrying more than your fair share of the workload.
3. Not delegating or empowering others.
4. Not communicating effectively or at all with your team.
5. Trying to do it all by yourself.
6. Not trusting anyone else.

What else would you add to the list?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

If you are a manager, you need to be ready and able to delegate. Why is this so important?

1. You have limited time available.
2. There is only one of you.
3. You will burn out if you try to do everything.
4. It helps develop and grow others.
5. You achieve more, faster.
6. You focus on what you do best.
7. You get others to focus on what they do best.
8. It builds trust.
9. You motivate others.
10. You build a great support team.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

Most managers, leaders and staff have one thing in common. They all have a limited amount of time available to them. So what are 3 good reasons for managers to delegate?

Reason 1: You focus on what you should be doing

The alternative is spending lots of time on activities that you should not be doing and may be no-one should be doing.

Reason 2: You are free to take on new challenges

New challenges provide you with the opportunity to grow and develop new skills and gain new experience.

Reason 3: You give your staff the chance to develop

The staff that you manage generally want to grow and develop. By delegating tasks to them, you give them the opportunity to grow and develop.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

1. It  takes too long
2. I can do it quicker myself
3. I tried in the past and it failed
4. I will lose control
5. I don’t trust my staff to deliver

What else would you add to the list of excuses?

As a manager or leader you probably find yourself with a lot of competing demands on your time.  You might even be struggling to deliver on your key objectives.

Every manager and leader understands that they cannot possibly do everything on their own, yet many resist delegation.  In my experience part of the reason for this is that they have pre-conceived ideas about delegation.  Some of the common myths include:

1. It will take too long to explain it to someone else so it is quicker to do it myself
2. I have no one that I could trust enough to delegate such an important job to
3. I tried to delegate in the past but it did not work so I don’t think it will work in the future
4. If I delegate too much, my boss will wonder if they really need me and I might get made redundant
5. Delegation is for people who cannot handle a big portfolio of work by themselves
6. I don’t have the time to delegate with so much to do

All of these myths are just that.  Truth is if you want to prosper as a manager or leader, you need to be willing to delegate.  So what is stopping you delegating?

For many managers delegating effectively is one of the toughest challenges they face. 

Reasons Why Managers Don’t Delegate

• Don’t understand the need to delegate
 
• Lack confidence in team to do what they require
 
• Don’t know how to delegate
 
• Tried and failed in the past so have a built in resistance
 
• Like doing a particular job so don’t want to let go of it
 
• Don’t understand their role as a manager
 
• Frightened of making themselves seem easily replaced
 
• Think they have no time to delegate
 
• Have nobody to delegate to

How to Delegate Effectively

• Plan it in advance
 
• Think exactly what you want done

• Consider guidance needed
 
• Brief appropriately and check understanding
 
• Establish review dates and check understanding

• Create a buffer period so that there is time for revisions as required

• Delegate whole jobs, where possible
 
• Inform others who are involved

• Stand back, don’t hover
 
• Recognise work may not be done exactly the way you would do it

• Delegate responsibility as well as task

In truth delegating effectively can transform the results that you deliver.  So what action could you take to start delegating effectively?

When asked what their biggest challenge is, many managers say that getting everything done is what they struggle with most.  One of the major differences of being a manager is that you are no longer just responsible for one or two things.  You need to manage a varied workload as well as people and resources.  So what are the 5 top mistakes managers make when it comes to managing workload and what should they do instead?

Mistake 1: Failing to focus

The first mistake managers often make when it comes to managing workload is failing to focus on managing.  This is often more of a challenge for those that have been promoted within the same organisation to a management role.  If you are a manager you are no longer measured just on what you do but on the results you deliver through others.

Solution: Make a point of allocating a proportion of your time specifically for managing and get crystal clear on how your performance is measured.

Mistake 2: Not delegating

Delegating tasks and responsibility is often something managers find tough to do.  It might be that they were let down in the past and are reluctant to try again.  It is important to remember that if you avoid delegating you give a message to your staff that you don’t trust them.  How would you feel if your boss gave you a message that he or she did not trust you?

Solution: Identify tasks that can only be done by you and those that can be delegated.  Once you have identified those tasks that can be delegated, find the best person in your team to do the task and delegate it to them.

Mistake 3: Not being willing to say no

You want to be seen as someone who is helpful – don’t you?  The real question to ask yourself is whether you want to be regarded as the person who always offers to help but rarely delivers.  As a manager you need to know when you can commit and when you cannot commit to something.  It is better to say and explain your reasons than to say yes and not deliver.

Solution: Always be clear on what you have to deliver in the weeks ahead and how long it will take so that you can clearly identify what capacity you have to take on additional work or projects.

Mistake 4: Not planning

Failing to plan is planning to fail.  You would not go travelling without a plan or try to make something without a plan.  So why would you leave your productivity and effectiveness to chance by not planning?

Solution: Plan your workload for the month, week and day and ensure that you focus on your priorities.

Mistake 5: Being too accessible

Many managers talk about having an open door policy.  At the same time, you need to be careful that your open door policy does not become a constant interruption policy.  When this happens you start to lose huge chunks of your time, put the delivery of results at risk and put yourself under real pressure.

Solution:  Have designated times when you are available to deal with problem issues and people issues and schedule this time in your calendar.  When issues arise outside of this, make sure that the issues really do require your immediate attention.

Bottom Line – Mastering workload management will set you apart from many managers and help you deliver results.  So what action do you need to take to better manage your workload?

If you are a manager you are probably trying to keep a whole host of tasks and projects moving forward at the same time.  You probably know that you could achieve more if you were to delegate more.  In my experience managers often come up with a whole host of reasons for not delegating.  I wonder if you recognise any of the following:

 

“I don’t have time to delegate”

 

“If you want a job done right do it yourself”

 

“It takes too long to delegate, I could do it quicker myself”

 

“I tried delegating once and I was let down by someone else”

 

Chances are you have heard one or more of the above, many times.  By not delegating, you are probably experiencing some specific costs or consequences.  It might be:

 

1.                  Continually staying late at work

 

Maybe you find that you are the person who is always first to arrive and last to leave.  If that’s you, chances are that you could benefit from delegating more.

 

2.                  Missing key deadlines

 

If you are finding yourself always delivering things at the last minute or even worse missing deadlines completely, it might be time to take stock of what you are doing that you really should pass to others.

 

3.                  Feeling stressed or under constant pressure

 

When we start to feel stressed or just constantly under pressure it impacts on our ability to take decisions, solve problems or focus on the bigger picture.

 

4.                  Poor performance rating

 

If you are in a management role, a large part of how your performance will be assessed will be on how well you manage.  If you are focusing all of your time and energy on doing rather than managing, chances are you will be poorly rated.  This might mean no pay increase or your job being in jeopardy.

 

So what steps would you take to improve your delegation skills?