I have to delegate more. This is how most senior managers answer the question of what they can do to become more effective leaders. However, it is a wrong and sometimes even a dangerous response. That is at least the opinion of Marshall Goldsmith, a coach of senior executives, speaker and author of popular books on personal development. He is one of the most recognized personalities in his field worldwide.
In a recent article on humancapitalleague.com Marshall Goldsmith explains that delegation can kill. "Inappropriate delegation can kill. Kill morale, careers, and even a company," says Goldsmith. Then he stresses that leaders should not try to delegate more, but to delegate more effectively. How should they do it? "My advice is simple," says Goldsmith and describes the following steps.
Ask your subordinates
Directly ask for written reports about their most important areas of responsibility. Then arrange individual face-to-face meetings and ask each subordinate where they feel you are getting too involved and where, on the other hand, they would appreciate more of your help. This is a very simple exercise that will help to clearly reveal where you need to delegate more and where not. Do not be afraid to ask whether they have ever seen you working on tasks they think a manager at your level doesn't have to do.
"For several of my C-level clients, team management has emerged as an area where letting go can both free up executive time and help develop direct reports," explains Goldsmith. Top managers do not have to personally arrange meetings and check to see if the agendas are being followed. Using a rotation of subordinates in the role of meeting organizers proved to be effective in many companies. In addition, it helped them better understand the companies' business.
In another company, employees were losing perspective of how their work related to the overall company strategy. This division operated in a rapidly changing environment. Employees did not need directions on what they should do or detailed technical explanations. However, they wanted their manager to keep them involved in the broader context of the business strategy. Introduction of regular personal interviews every two months helped to solve the problem.
A video in which Marshall Goldsmith talks about the pitfalls of delegation and provides further examples is available here.
-kk-