How to Delegate
by E. A. Winning
It may seem peculiar to be talking about delegation of responsibilitiesin a high-tech world where old catch phrases such as "self-starter,""self-motivated," and "must be capable of working under loose supervision" often appear in the help wanted ads. But, it is because of this umbrella of "letting people run with the ball" that knowing how and what to delegate is so important.
Too often managers delegate the "wrong" activities. Too often managers have no interest in what they delegate and thereby lose control over the process or function that they are accountable for. If the manager is truly accountable for the outcome of others activities, then due care must be taken in how, what, and why activities, projects, processes, or functions are assigned.
In this article, Ethan Winning gives some advice to the reader on avoiding the pitfalls in delegation, guidance based upon years of experience during which he made some common mistakes -- once.
A 1993 article in Hresource, a publication of Talent Tree Personnel Services, listed the following items " that could be delegated to subordinates and make it easier on [you as] the manager:
- Matters that keep repeating themselves.
- Minor decisions most frequently made.
- Details that take the biggest chunks of time.
- Parts of the job the supervisor is least qualified to handle.
- Job details that the superior most dislikes.
- Parts of the job that make the superior overspecialized.
- Parts of the job that make the superior under-specialized."
At the same time, the reader is admonished to "make sure the subordinate is given meaningful, challenging assignments and doesn't end up as a dumping ground for unwanted or distasteful tasks of the superior."
I've been around a long time, perhaps too long, but I've always instructed managers that to effectively delegate one must always delegate the tasks that he or she understands best and also likes. If you assign tasks you don't like, then you will have lost control. What we like least we pay the least attention, and the subordinate may very well take some initiative and make decisions which are, not only contrary to our own best interests, but contrary to the best interests of the company and its clients or customers.
If you delegate things that you understand least, you will also lose control. How can a manager supervise functions (which are, after all, made up of these tasks and responsibilities) about which he or she has the least comprehension? No, I am not saying that a manager or supervisor has to understand WordPerfect or Word or Lotus if that manager has a staff that works with it all the time. That is not a primary responsibility of the manager. On the other hand, if the manager happens to be the supervisor for a clerical pool, then he or she had better have an understanding of the software that runs the department.
I mentioned a spreadsheet program above. That may be the exception to my exception to the exception to the rule, to wit, any persons working in an accounting or other "numbers-crunching" function cannot perform without a knowledge of some spreadsheet software. Like it or not, the manager must be conversant with spreadsheets and cannot delegate the total responsibility to others. Subordinates can "do the run," but the manager had best understand how it works.
It is implied in the above list that, if the manager is "under-specialized" or least qualified to handle parts of the job, then those "items"should be delegated. I would like to suggest something else: managers and supervisors owe it to themselves, to their subordinates, and to their departments and companies to learn. While managers can't know everything, they must at least have sufficient knowledge of tasks, responsibilities, or jobs in general and within their scope of authority to make informed decisions when problems arise. It may be okay to say, "I don't know," but if it is said often enough, the manager may well find himself or herself seen as contributing less to the company than the subordinates. I guess the old Marine Corps addendum to "I don't know,""but I'll find out" should be emphasized.
While managers may learn from subordinates, they still have a responsibility to train subordinates. A manager cannot train someone in the "part of the job that [he or she] is least qualified to handle."
Let's bring this a little more up to date. There is indeed a resistance to and perhaps a fear of change among many older managers. The Internet is no longer the next step: it is the step we have already taken, yet there are many who, rather than learn about this phenomenon, have assigned others to the task of researching the Web, sending and retrieving intranet e-mail, or in many companies even setting up what may well become a vital corporate Web page.
When, for whatever reasons, someone resists learning the basics of what they are assigning, they stand a pretty good chance of...for lack of a better way of saying it...being "run over by the troops." Many years ago I had the following printed on my business cards: "Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way." Delegation is part of leading, but if you delegate and then concentrate on other things, someone will wrest your position from you.
Managers are accountable for what goes on (or doesn'tgo on) in their departments. If subordinates make mistakes because they have not been taught, the manager is accountable. If subordinates make mistakes because of an overload of "meaningful" responsibilities delegated to them, they are not to blame.
Look, education is a full-time job and a lifelong process. Keeping abreast of a specialty is difficult. Remaining a generalistis almost impossible. But that's what the corporate world calls for. Delegation is also called for because of the onslaught of new knowledge, systems, processes, technology, laws, etc. Mastery of a specific area is possible, but managers can't be true specialists if for no other reason than that by definition, managers oversee functions and/or people. You can't oversee either without continuous upgrading of knowledge and techniques. If you're going to oversee something, you'd better not overlook anything.
Ethan Winning, a nationally known author in employee relations, is president of E. A. Winning Associates, Inc., a Walnut Creek, California employee relations consulting firm specializing in tailoring employee handbooks and performance and compensation systems. He is also the author of Labor Pains: Employerand Employee Rights and Obligations(2nd edition, 1996) which can be ordered by calling 1-800-823-6366, by using the onlineform.Copyright © 1996 E. A. Winning. All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission.