Management By Delegation.

Do these scenarios sound familiar? You’re walking to your restaurant and an employee stops you to give a rundown of what’s happening; “Marry called off tonight so we have no hostess, our shipment was shorted the supplies you ordered, I’m going to clean out the stock room and after my break I’ll work on those files you asked me to do. The schedule will be done in a couple of days and,. by the way, the oven is not working right. Should I call the repairman?”

As you get farther into the restaurant, another employee stops you to give a rundown of his situation. This lasts another 5 minutes. Frustrating? You Bet. And you wonder. Why can’t these employees take more responsibility and not drop every detail of every project in your lap? Maybe it’s not them but you. Maybe you’re not delegating effectively. Here are some key points to remember.

Stress results, not details. Make it clear to your employees that you’re more concerned about the final outcome of all projects, rather than the day-to-day details that accompany them.

Don’t be sucked in by giving solutions to employees’ problems. When employees come to you with problems, they’re probably looking for you to solve them. Don’t! Teach them how to solve problems themselves. This, too, can be frustrating because it takes time. But in the long run, you’ll save yourself time and money.

Turn the question around. If an employee comes to you with a problem, ask him or her for possible solutions. If an employee comes to you with a question, ask for possible answers. This is key. When you do this you not only will create an employee who can get the job done, and not always bothering you, you will find out how this employee thinks and what leads them to their decisions.

Establish measurable and concrete objectives. With all employees, make your objectives clear and specific. Once this is done, employees will feel more comfortable acting on their own. Think of this plan as a road map and your employees will too.

Develop reporting systems. Get your feedback from reporting systems. The best way is to set up a pre determined time when the employee will meet with you. This way you can give all your attention and eliminate the bombardment when you walk in the door.

Give strict and realistic deadlines. If you don’t give clear deadlines, employees won’t feel accountable for the completion if their tasks. You can always ask the employee when you assign the job when they think they can have it accomplished. This way they are being accountable to themselves.

Keep a delegation log. When you delegate an assignment, jot it down. You’ll be able to monitor the progress, and discipline employees when necessary. Follow up is a key step. You can always ask the employee how the project is going and if you can offer any help. Giving advice or steering them in the right direction is all they may need to get started on the right track.

Recognize the talents and personalities of your employees. Being a good delegator is like being a good coach. You have to know what projects each employee can handle and what projects they can’t.

For more information check out 

Management Training: By The Book