Taking Charge: When NOT to Delegate

Somebody once said, “ You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.”

I think this week’s post kind of speaks to that.

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In leadership, one of the things we are always being reminded of is the importance of delegation, and with good reason. It not only ensures an even distribution of work and authority, it also provides important opportunities for individual exploration and growth.  I expect we can all agree on that.

However, there are times when leaders, regardless of their level in an organization, have to rely on their strength of character to call upon the backbone and take charge.

So here are some situations where I think delegation is not an option:

• When you have to deliver bad news or make a change that you know will not be well received.

Let’s face it, everyone likes to be popular but leadership is not about popularity.  It involves making tough decisions, sometimes decisions that affect jobs and the futures of those who do them. It means not only delivering tough messages personally but also staying around to respond to difficult questions and participating in the process of making hard and sometimes upsetting transitions.

• When the objectives of an assignment are unclear or people don’t have the tools they need to get the job done.

Delegating an assignment that is not well thought out or does not include the tools necessary for implementation is pretty much guaranteeing failure. And, it does little for the people charged with carrying it out, apart from adding to their frustration level.

It is the leader’s job to ensure clarity around what is to be achieved and to provide the resources necessary to promote success. Turning a concept into an assignment while it is still in its formative stage makes everyone’s job harder.

• When something goes wrong that affects the entire department or company

So let’s say that things are motoring along nicely in your domain.  People are attending to their responsibilities and you are delegating assignments in accordance with your knowledge of their capabilities. Great.

And then, something goes wrong. Someone makes a big mistake that reverberates beyond your sphere of control, affecting other areas of the organization and its reputation.

While you might have delegated the work assignment, the responsibility for the outcome of it rests with you.  That’s why you get paid the big bucks, as they say. It is your job to find out specifically what went wrong and why.  It is your job to work with the person or people involved in bringing the mistake about and taking whatever corrective action is deemed appropriate. And, you are the one that must be accountable. ‘Nuff said.

• When you are trying something new and the risk of failure is high

In any enterprise, innovation is crucial to growth and sustainability.  As such, risk is an inherent part of business life.  If a project being contemplated carries with it a high risk/reward ratio, it also requires full involvement by the leader. To some extent, this will mitigate the risk and send the message that, while you asking others to “go where no man has gone before” you will be right there with them, to share in the glory…or the blame.

People often say that leadership is not for the faint of heart.  I have described only four situations where a leader must stand up and be counted.  There are no doubt countless others.

What comes to mind for you?

Are You Motivating the Wrong Person?

This week I’m pleased to introduce Jessica Edmondson as guest writer on You’re Not the Boss of Me. Jessica is a big fan of Dale Carnegie and his ideologies about leadership. She enjoys learning from leadership best practices.  And, she believes that considering different perspectives on what good leadership means enhances our ability to be effective as leaders. I tend to agree.

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When it comes time to motivate people and effectively delegate tasks, there are all kinds of approaches that work – and many that don’t. You don’t need a business management degree to understand that motivation is different for every person and that the key is to make sure you are motivating the right person in the right way. In other words, as Dale Carnegie wisely advised, “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.” 

The most effective business manager is the one who can identify and work with individuals’ different personality types and work styles. Effective leaders who take the time to understand what motivates their team members are typically the ones who get the best results from their employees.

Sometimes, however, leaders will steer their energies in the wrong direction, either by trying to motivate the wrong person or by delegating tasks or responsibilities to the wrong person. This can happen unintentionally, the result of our common bias to favor like-minded people over those who hold opposing opinions or viewpoints.
Let’s look at a couple of common problems and examine how we can make adjustments that produce the best results without letting our biases get in the way.

Delegating to the Wrong Person

Delegating is beneficial to an organization only if it’s done strategically and with clear objectives. Leaders who delegate well not only provide their employees with key opportunities to improve their skills and demonstrate their competence, but also they give themselves the time they need to better perform their own tasks.

But trouble can arise as a result of delegating to the wrong person. It’s critical for leaders to take the time to get to know their team members so they can match strengths and skills with the jobs that need to be completed. If a task is assigned to someone simply because this person should be able do it, this can affect the productivity of the whole organization, potentially putting careers of both managers and team members on the line.

Unconsciously Practicing Favoritism

Supervisors and workers alike tend to gravitate toward others who are similar to them, whether it’s because they share a common work style or have matching opinions about a business’ objectives and vision. People do this outside of work, as well, perhaps because they think it’s easier and keeps them inside their comfort zone.

In the workplace, a manager may assign the same duties to the same people over and over again, simply because “that’s the way it’s done” or because this person did the same task well once and can be counted on to do it well in the future. This type of favoritism, however, will likely discourage the bypassed employees, who may want to try their hand at something different.

As with misplaced delegation, favoritism can breed resentment and jealousy, and lower morale among the team members. While it may not be a comfortable exercise, it is important for supervisors to examine whether or not they are favoring certain employees simply because they are easier to motivate or because they may be easier to connect with than other workers.

Ultimately, motivating employees and team members is about creating opportunities for them to demonstrate and enhance their skills through work that is meaningful, intentional and clearly defined. By addressing biases, leaders allow themselves to know how, why and when to motivate the right people for the right work.

What do you think?

Jessica Edmondson contributes on Management and Online Business Degrees for the University Alliance, a division of Bisk Education, Inc. 

Taking Charge: When Not to Delegate

In leadership, one of the things we are always being reminded of is the importance of delegation, and with good reason.  It not only ensures an even distribution of work and responsibility, it also provides important opportunities for individual exploration and growth. I expect we all agree on that.

But when is it important not to delegate matters to others?

As leaders, regardless of our level in an organization, there are times when we have to rely on our strength of character to call upon our backbone and take charge.

So here are some situations where I think Delegation is not an option:

• When we have to deliver bad news or make a change that we know will not be well received.

Let’s face it, everyone likes to be popular but leadership is not about popularity.  It involves making tough decisions, sometimes decisions that affect jobs and the futures of those who do them. It means not only delivering tough messages personally but staying around to respond to difficult questions and participating in the process of making hard and sometimes upsetting transitions.

• When the objectives of an assignment are unclear or people don’t have the tools they need to get the job done.

Delegating an assignment that is not well thought out or does not include the tools necessary to implement it, is pretty much guaranteeing failure. And, it does little for the people charged with implementation, apart from adding to their frustration level.

It is the leader’s job to ensure clarity around what s/he wants to achieve and to provide the resources necessary to promote success. Turning a concept into an assignment while it is still in its formative stage makes everyone’s job harder.

• When something goes wrong that affects the entire department or company

So let’s say that things are motoring along nicely in your domain.  People are attending to their responsibilities and you are delegating assignments in accordance with your knowledge of their capabilities. Great.

And then, something goes wrong. Someone makes a big mistake that reverberates beyond your sphere of control, affecting other areas of the organization and its reputation.

While you might have delegated the work assignment, the responsibility for the outcome of it rests with you.  That’s why you get paid the big bucks, as they say. It is your job to find out specifically what went wrong and why.  It is your job to work with the person or people involved in bringing the mistake about and taking whatever corrective action is deemed appropriate. And, you are the one that must be accountable. ‘Nuff said.

Here is an article that illustrates the reactions of a number of senior executives when faced with crises in their organizations. The one that comes prominently to mind for me is Michael McCain. He put himself directly in the line of fire when the plant in Ontario became contaminated with the Listeria bacterium. Of course, I’m not sure what the outcome for Maple Leaf would have been had he not stepped up and taken responsibility for a very grave situation, but my hunch is that the company’s recovery would have been seriously in doubt.

• When you are trying something new and the risk of failure is high

In any enterprise, innovation is crucial to growth and sustainability.  As such, risk is an inherent part of business life.  If a project being contemplated carries with it a high risk/reward ratio, it also requires full involvement by the leader. To some extent, this will mitigate the risk and send the message that, while you asking others to “go where no man has gone before” you will be right there with them, to share in the glory…or the blame.

People often say that leadership is not for the faint of heart.  I have described only four situations where a leader must stand up and be counted.  There are no doubt countless others.

What comes to mind for you?