By Lisa Yackel, CVPM, PHR, SHRP-CP
I have now been out of private practice and in a consultant role for 30 months. Lots of introspection has occurred during this time. One of the things I miss the most is the building of a team and the feeling of success when you see an employee excel. Only in the last year or so as a manager, did I learn the value of delegation. By me letting go and delegating more tasks, it prepared the team for departures of any of the staff, including myself. It is truly amazing to me to see some of the growth of several employees who have stepped up to fill the gap when I left and how they have flourished. After all, isn’t that what we are taught is a sign of a great leader? In hindsight though, there are some things I wish I had known that would have made life easier.
It is common knowledge that effective delegation enhances employee morale, our own productivity and the hospital’s success. By sharing responsibilities, managers can focus on doing a few tasks well, rather than many things less effectively. They increase their management and leadership potential, while training others to succeed them. Having been delegated a task or project engages team-members and opens up better lines of communication. Knowing these things to be true, why do so many of us managers have such a hard time letting go? We are not alone.
“One of the most difficult transitions for leaders to make is the shift from doing to leading.”
Harvard Business Review
Here are some Red Flags to look for when deciding if you are holding back on delegating:
- Are you working extra hours, while your employees are going home on time?
- Do you have a work backlog with many items being dependent on you to start/progress?
- Are you doing things your employees should be doing or can do at a lower cost?
- Are you doing things that you are not an expert at?
- Are you doing work that is a level below your job title?
- You think, “I’m overwhelmed. I get sucked into too many meetings.”
- It is easier not to take vacation or time off because of the workload before and after.
- You once tried to delegate a responsibility and it didn’t go well, so you took the task back.
- You aren’t happy or fulfilled at work.
- You claim you don’t have time to delegate or train someone.
Delegating For Results
Delegation comes in two forms. Delegating for results works best when an employee knows which results are required and has the ability to determine what the assignment should look like and how to accomplish it. The task may fall into a specified area of expertise and, therefore, gets assigned to a specific person.
Delegating For Development
Delegating for development, is used when a manager assigns a task to an employee who might not be the best suited for the job but who is nonetheless up to the challenge. In this case, the employee gains invaluable experience and knowledge for the future, providing him or her an opportunity to grow. Realize that with this type of delegation, the manager must plan on making a significant investment of time and energy to ensure that the employee will succeed. This second type of delegation is probably the one as managers that we most fail to do, often because we believe it is easier to do the work ourselves. Too often we don’t step back and look at all the activities and tasks we perform and keep plowing ahead, getting overwhelmed, and falsely believing it is faster and easier to do what’s so familiar to us.
A word of caution, it’s important that you don’t mistake delegating for dumping. Studies show that employees are highly motivated when they have challenging assignments and variety in their work. Conversely, morale will sink if employees feel you’re taking advantage of them.
People, Priorities, and Projects
I read an article once that said it is a leader’s primary responsibility to focus on the success of their people. The second responsibility is to determine priorities and the third is to address projects. These are all “big picture” focused. Managers can’t retain that focus if they are paying attention to all the small details and not delegating responsibilities. People, priorities, and projects. Keeping these three items as your emphasis will help you retain your top talent by keeping your employees engaged, empowered and letting them develop their skills to become leaders. You accomplish this through delegation.
So go ahead and get delegating! Start with mail sorting (I know so many of my manager peers have a hard time letting this highly skilled task go😊).