How to Delegate

A lot of the topics I cover are team-minded. Regardless of our KPIs, we are leaders of people at the end of the day… and leaders have their work cut out for them: Balancing managerial responsibilities with their own workflows, and aiming to be an effective communicator throughout it all. 

But what happens when a manager doesn’t know how to delegate? The responsibilities become even greater.

We often see managers become managers because of their success in being an individual contributor (IC). This is where I come in to help the IC learn how to manage effectively. But let’s pretend I’m not in the picture. What often happens when an IC turns into a manager is that he/she forgets that they are no longer an IC — and they can have a really hard time relinquishing control. 

What’s harder than being responsible for a team? Being responsible for the team and taking on the work of the team. Back to my point about delegation and skill building. 

If you’re drowning in work, here’s a checklist to get you started with delegation:

1) Identify what tasks can be delegated. What’s appropriate to divide among the team? How does this align with their yearly goals? 

2) Choose the right person to manage each task. You must match skill and experience. This provides insight into skill gaps and opportunities for professional development. Seniority may come into play here, too. 

3) Provide a roadmap. What is the project, when must it be done, and how involved will you be? And, perhaps most importantly, what does success look like for completion? 

Having a hard time delegating? Let’s discuss. 

Should You Be A Manager?

In working with my client base, it’s always so fascinating to learn how each person landed in their managerial role. Some found themselves in management as a byproduct of working their way up the ladder (common). Others knew they wanted to manage people and were keen to become a people manager. Still, there are others who find themselves in management and find the daily push/pull of being both a producer of work and managing a team challenging. If we know anything about people we know this summary resonates: everyone is a little bit different.

But what’s so telling to me is when an, now-manager, shares his or her success as an individual contributor. Leaders of organizations assume that high performers should be capable of teaching their new team members how to be just like them. But what leaders fail at, at times, is assessing the personality profile of these individuals. Do they have the empathy it takes to be a people manager? Do they know how to listen? Do they have the patience to teach someone something when there’s a learning curve? 

Often high performers are just that: high performers. They are exceptional at their trade but have a hard time transitioning those skills to management. They’re promoted regardless and this is when rubber hits the road. Senior leadership will be served well if they not only provide education to new managers, but will also benefit from learning individual career aspirations. Perhaps an individual contributor should remain just that. Organizations that can create different pathways for upward mobility which do not all revolve around managerial requirements are poised to increase engagement and retention. 

Idea in brief: If you are considering a promotion for a stellar individual contributor, learn what they ultimately want to do at the organization. If they never managed before, but have interest in building a cohesive team, be sure you are providing them with the education to succeed.