Delegation
Is there such a thing as delegating TOO much? Basically, giving all of your work away to be done by others and not really doing anythin yourself except for check up on those that are working for you.
Delegation is a skill to be practiced and mastered because there seems to be a fine line between shifting responsibilities and leading (and developing direct reports). There are plenty of times where I felt that if I just do something myself, I would have gotten it done much more efficiently and I wouldn't have to spend time double-checking. However, as a manager, my tasks and responsibilities continue to add up and it is extremely necessary for me to train others and delegate. Earlier this year, I came across a clip from the movie Twelve O'Clock High and it was an eye opening experience. The movie showed how Colonel Davenport was becoming very attached to his subordinates; he was also doing a lot of the work (leading and being in combat) and not holding the troops accountable for their mistakes. It helped me realize that while leading by example is a good thing, it also needs to be balanced with delegation, coaching, and accountability.
Dan,
yes, this happens all too often. We need to be aware of what we should delegate & conversely what we should keep.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree you should delegate as much as possible. It takes to load off off you. I ues to do everything myself. Until one day I noticed that my coworkers were taking advantage of me. They would leave stuff for me to finish. I found myself taking work home, and giving up my weekends.
Miriam,
this is a good point & quite honestly, I don't even call this delegation, but dumping. Delegation, to me, is when I take a task that I could do (based on my skills, knowledge, etc) & ask someone else to do it because it's within the scope of their duties & does not add an extra burden on them & often will help them develop further in their skills or knowledge. Dumping is when something will be too hard for me or I simply don't want to do it, so I give it to someone else.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Delegation for the most part is either over used or under used. I think some managers delegate a lot of their responsiblity to the team leaving them with only the responsibility of managing what has been delegated out. Some may say thats what a manager does.
Carrie,
yes, this is an excellent example of "delegation" gone wrong. A manager should not delegate his/her tasks, but evaluate what can be done (fairly) by others.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have worked for an Manager who would constantly "dump" his responsibilities into my hands and when budget cuts were made I was forced to resign. He would sit at his computer all day house hunting and other non-work related items. That was an exhausting position. It was a negative work environment to work in.
Now I am working for an employer who delegates fairly and helps provide lots of guidance to be successful with tasks. It makes the moral and work environment a possitive place to be in when everyone is working just as hard.
Chad,
this is exactly right & it can free the manager up to do more support/encouragement to team members.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Delegation of tasks to other team members can benefit everyone. As a leader noticing the potential in your team is a must. Some of those co workers may achieve a better end result than you yourself could have.
Thomas,
this is a great point & reminds us of the need to intelligently delegate & to make sure that we're not just throwing folks into the deep end to see if they can make it. We must support them as they go.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As a Chef Instructor we are always trying to delegate to students (coachees) more projects and/or responsibilities. However, when we are delegating to this level we can lose site to ensuring that all project/responsibilities are being carried out to the high standards necessary. It becomes a double edge sword when working with students (coachees) wanting to help them become better managers but also not wanting them to create other issues with the food product.
caleb,
agreed, delegation should be done carefully & thoughtfully.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It is a great thing to have a manager that leads by example and wont overload people underthem. Also, good to have a manager that can have enough time to focus on what they have to do as well, so if they need to pass the work down to other people, thats what they should do.
Marilyn,
this is a tough situation to be in & I can completely identify. As we seek to delegate we are aware of the already heavy loads being carried by those under us.
Dr. Ryan Meers
My own feeling is I don't delegate enough, I am over worked and the work is not being done at my best. I feel as more and more jobs are being handed down as others leave and their jobs are not going to be filled. I have great instructors under me and I do not want to over load them.
My own feeling is I don't delegate enough, I am over worked and the work is not being done at my best. I feel as more and more jobs are being handed down as others leave and their jobs are not going to be filled. I have great instructors under me and I do not want to over load them.
sharmane,
Yes, this is the point exactly. Personally I don't call it delegating when a manager/leader gives away the work he/she should be doing, I call this "dumping." I think the goal is to be a delegator not a dumper.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Yes, I think that there is a such a thing as delegating too much. Delegating is great if it help you to get more done while helping to develop others, but giving away all of your work can make your employees to resent you or lose respect for you. There should be a balance when delegating. Delegate duties that are not adding value to your role, but will help other in theirs. As a manager you should have a good idea of what to keep and what can be delegated. Also be sure that your employees see the value in delegating, share feedback with your employees as to how they are doing, what is going well, what they may need a bit more work etc. Finally, delegating should be a win win for the manager and employee, this way everyone wins.
Well said Roseann, not sure I can add anything to that.
Ryan
