Empowering your team
There are three types of power. There is position power, given to you by rank. Then there is decision power that involves everyone in the process, and everyone shares responsibility for the direction you agree to take. Finally there is employee power – ‘empower’. This is where you delegate to individuals the power they need to complete the work themselves – and share in the success. Delegation is the only way to involve others fully. The key is to fully delegate – really empower them to be able to give it their best.
Position Power – Told what to do
Decision Power – Lets agree what to do
Employee Power – This is what we need. You do it!
Elizabeth Kanter, in her book ‘The Change Masters’, says empowering people ‘is respect for the individuals in the organisation’. For people to trust one another in areas of uncertainty, where outcomes are yet not known, they need to respect the competence of the others’
The art of delegation
However much you plan and ponder over a project, it will not succeed simply through excellent forward planning. It is the people who are involved in the completion of the project that will ensure its success. Spending hours defining every step of a project may be lost time. The modern pace of change will ensure nothing goes exactly to plan and your proposals will require constant review, alteration, and clarification.
It is those involved in the implementation of a project who are the ones to ultimately ensure its success. To delegate effectively you simply need to set a desired outcome, a framework to act within and most importantly provide people with the freedom to innovate and use their skills. This is the only real use of the phrase ‘self-directing team’ that makes sense. Too many leaders see the principle of a self-directing team as an excuse to step back completely. As an outstanding leader you will appreciate the need to delegate with equal amounts of freedom and guidance. The activity to complete the task is temporarily removed from you, but the responsibility for its successful outcome very much remains in your hands.
So why should you delegate? Is it worth the perceived risk, and can you let go enough to let others be involved?
Harold Macmillan said ‘I have often found that a man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man that nobody trusts’
Delegation allows you to manage your time far more effectively than trying to complete everything yourself – even if that were possible. Allow others do the work they are capable of completing, whilst you complete the tasks only you can do. This is the only way in which to ensure best use of your skills, and by doing so you become more productive, and more successful.
Delegation shows you value others. It is a vote of confidence in them and encourages them to have more confidence in their own abilities. It is a real personal motivator. Furthermore it allows individuals to develop their skills and abilities and gain valuable experience. This can be a real investment in their future, and the future potential of the business. It tests the ability of an individual to perform. It brings into focus their weaknesses, enhances their strengths, and prove to be a unique test of character and aptitude.
Delegation is a wonderful coaching opportunity. Delegation and development go hand in hand.
Finally delegation can provide a really pleasant surprise, with the quality of outcome you experience. It may even be a nasty shock to your ego if those you empower do a better job that you could have! Always remember leadership is achieving success through others!
With all these positive reasons, why don’t we delegate as much as we should, and when we do, feel really uncomfortable? Fear of taking a risk, fear of failure, and a built in self-protection are the major stumbling blocks. Fear grows the more you dwell on it. Fear reduces the closer you reach completion. This shows you how much fear is a perception and the reality is usually a much lower risk than you originally envisage! The risk is low and the benefits huge! Delegation is no greater a risk than when you involve sub-contractors, and customers to participate in your company’s activities!
Simple ‘rules’ for delegation:
- Delegation is a process of investing knowledge in your team, rather than holding it as a single ineffective authority.
- Delegation is a vote of confidence in the person you are delegating responsibility to. It demonstrates that you believe their ability to perform and achieve the result you require.
- Delegate familiar tasks before unfamiliar ones. This will make monitoring the progress of each task easier for you.
- Resist the temptation to hold onto what you enjoy doing. These tasks may not be the best use of your time and expertise. Do things that only you are capable of. All other tasks should be delegated to the rest of your team. Do what is right – not what you like!
- Be honest and discerning. Do not hold onto tasks that you carry out simply to display your importance or position, or to have power over others.
- Delegate to your best people – those who will do a good job. Let them fully ‘own’ the task but never lose clarity as to how they are progressing. Always instil in those whom you have delegated to, the absolute need to keep you informed and updated. It is what you don’t know about that you can’t manage. What you do know, you can always deal with.
- Delegation should always be done with a reason for the delegation. Answer their ‘why’s’. People need to know why they are being asked to do something, why it is necessary, why were they asked, and why might they want to do it? Sell them the benefits and you will have achieved an excellent start to the process with a committed individual who senses personal gain in completing your work to your timescale – a ‘win-win’ situation.
- Delegation should always come with clear, precise instructions. Flat pack companies delegate the construction of their units with varying degrees of success. You should be able to do much better. Check the comprehension is there. Two extra minutes at this stage can avoid hours of unpicking later. Make sure you provide all the tools they need!
- Delegation should always be accompanied with your full support. You are ultimately accountable, and you need to ensure the task is completed. Ensure there are no barriers to healthy communication throughout the task, and hold a post-mortem after it is completed to see what lessons you can both learn.
- Praise success and give credit where it is due. Job satisfaction is one of the perks of being delegated to.
- Use the experience of trusting a person with work to assess that individual’s future potential for greater responsibility, and to highlight any further training needs.
Delegation may take the form of outsourcing to a separate company, to bring in additional resources or specialist skills. The same rules apply in terms of ensuring the expected result is clear, good levels of communication are present, and that monitoring is in place to retain your responsibility for the outcome.
Do not be afraid to give people responsibility. Assess how they are getting on – always make it clear there is support if needed. Act as a safety net for them as it will provide the confidence to enable them to tackle the work properly, and not half-heartedly. Instead of ‘playing safe’ they will reach out for success. In doing this they will develop as individuals, give you their loyalty, and respect you for the trust you have shown in them. Delegation, if handled properly will provide an investment for the future in developing others and freeing your time up for more important tasks.
The hardest lesson to learn is to trust people enough to do what is right, and to do it to the standard you would have. Let them have the power they need to complete the task, but within the absolute parameters that have been set – the absolutes that uphold the decency of your business.
President Bill Clinton in his book ‘Between Hope and History’ says ‘Freedom works only when it its exercised with responsibility. For example, we have the freedom of speech, but also the responsibility to speak civilly….freedom of the press but also the responsibility to be truthful, accurate and fair’.
However much you temporarily release the authority to an individual to accomplish their goal, the accountability for all their actions and outcome rests firmly with you.
Our responsibilities should simply be shared and never fully delegated.
‘All I’ve been able to do is possibly to make organisations work a bit better than they otherwise would have done; leadership is all about getting a lot of people to do something well and willingly’, writes Jon Ashworth
