6 Steps to Effective Delegation (Part 1 of 6)

1. Give the Whole Task

Supervisors and employees alike often cringe at the thought of the word - delegation. I believe it ranks second in leadership bingo to the word “change.” What is so difficult about delegation? Many would quickly reply that it has something to do with trust. Trust that it will be completed timely and without errors or problems, not only because it has to be, but also because the supervisor needs to feel confident that the employees are competent. Trust, accuracy, confidence, and competence - the point that I am making here is that there are many difficulties, many of them emotional in nature, that prevent otherwise great supervisors (read leaders) from being effective delegators.

The first and perhaps most important step in delegation is - giving the whole task. When we give the whole task the person feels a sense of ownership and responsibility. Once given (read delegated) that responsibility we have sent a message that says “I trust you to do this work.” In healthy organizations this motivates and energizes the employee. It then becomes the responsibility of the employee to fulfill the job duties. Lack of fulfilling their job duties would of course indicate that they are not a fully performing employee – they are something less.

How do we know if they are fully performing? Have you clearly defined the expectations?

Integrity vs. Loyalty

What is integrity? What is loyalty? How do you measure up with workplace integrity and loyalty? What are the differences?

First let me give my opinion about some of the differences. Integrity may represent feeling an obligation to perform in an ethical manner. Here are some examples of workplace integrity:

    * Good attendance record
    * Committed to assignments and duties
    * Performing the role of your job description
    * Practicing generally accepted principles
    * Willfully sharing information and ideas

Loyalty may mean that you stay committed to the culture, environment, and organization regardless of ethics, morals, or values and beliefs. Examples of workplace loyalty could include:

    * Supporting mission and objectives
    * Committed to using your workplace time wisely
    * Supporting decisions or changes
    * Appropriately following the “chain-of-command”
    * Promoting goodwill about the organization both on and off the job

Considering these differences what is your personal position on integrity and loyalty in the workplace? Perhaps more important is what “should” be your position? In the workplace we often walk a fine line with both integrity and loyalty. Do you struggle with integrity and loyalty in your workplace role or organization?

Visibility vs. Credibility

Many leaders contemplate how visible they are in the scope of their area of influence. Have you considered visibility as compared to credibility? Both visibility and credibility are recognized as forms of positive influence or power in leadership roles. Visibility results from behaviors that are physically visible, typically considered to be external attributes. Credibility on the other hand results from behaviors that give a person influence and are typically considered internal attributes.

As leaders the goal should be to master the art of being both seen and heard. Be both visible and credible. Successful leaders master behaviors that allow them to be both physically seen by others and have appropriate influence on others. Leaders who master the balance of visibility and credibility are trusted and believed in by others.

How visible and credible are you in the scope of your leadership role?

Pizza! A Customer Service Experience

Recently I called my favorite small town pizza shop and heard a pleasant but unfamiliar voice. The new young lady answering the telephone was trying to help me but was having difficulty talking to me since she was preoccupied with other conversations. Apparently she was waiting on a customer at the counter, answering a co-workers question, and also attempting to take my order. After three attempts to place my order I felt only marginally confident that my order would be correct.

Twenty-five minutes later I arrived at the pizza shop and was greeted by the new employee; standing beside her was the young lady that typically provides service. As I approached the counter she politely asked if she could help me and proceeded to get my pizza and enter it into the cash register. After a moment she looked at me and said “$19.07.” In response I quickly handed her a twenty dollar bill. Taking the bill from my hand she paused, looked at me and said “Do you have change or do you want me to count it out for you?” Stunned, I paused for a moment, smiled, and then replied with, “you can put the change in your tip jar.” Exchanging a glance with the other young lady I noticed a slight eye roll, then a smile, and a sincere “thank you.”

I walked away happy – I was very hungry.

Trust Matters

Many organizations suffer from trust issues. Trust requires time and effort to ensure its presence. While levels of trust vary from individual to individual trust in the workplace is often hard to obtain. Occasionally workplace teams express high levels of trust, but when asked individually about their levels of trust they are typically reporting less trust than they expressed in the group setting. Workplace trust is a big issue. Many organizations also report difficulties with communication efforts and often the root cause is mistrust among individuals and teams.

Consider the “3 C’s” of trust, they are: Credibility, Consistency, and managed Communications. If you are credible, consistent in your actions, and manage your communication effectively you are probably considered a trustworthy person in your workplace. Remember that trust takes time, make every effort to avoid careless, thoughtless, or misinterpreted acts and pay close attention to the “3 C’s.” If you get this part correct, you will make a big difference with your team – trust me.