The Art of Delegating - I

The Art of Delegating

When we talk of delegating, our thoughts mainly turn to work, and yet all areas of your life--personal and professional--can benefit from delegating. You can delegate numerous tasks and responsibilities, ranging from hiring someone to do your paperwork, to asking your children to help with household chores, to using a computer to automate certain processes.

What are the benefits of delegation?

You have certain skills and qualities in which you're especially gifted. When you delegate the remainder, you'll increase your effectiveness.

Positive results of delegation include:

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   You'll have more time and energy for the most important things.

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   You'll have less to do, less clutter and less pressure.

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   You'll be supported by responsible people working together.

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   You'll benefit from others' experience, wisdom, thoughts and perspectives.

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   The people you spend time with will feel more confident and increase their skills.

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   You'll demonstrate to others your professionalism and effectiveness.

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   You'll get tasks done rather than adding them to your to-do list.

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   You'll achieve your results in less time.

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   You'll create a win-win situation.

Why aren't you delegating?

What's keeping you from delegating? Probably, it's either believing you're the only one who can do a task correctly, feeling like you need to be in control, attempting to address unmet needs, desiring the adrenaline rush of being busy or feeding your ego.

Have you ever said, "No one can do it as well as I can." The truth is, there are many experienced people who can perform certain tasks as well as, or even better than, you. Another statement would be more effective: "I can find someone who can do it as well as me." When you stop trying to do everything, you can focus more on your true gifts.

Sometimes your need to be in control stops you from delegating. When you need to be in control, you're effectively giving away much of your personal power. You can reclaim this power when you let go of your need to be in control. Then you'll be able to delegate more easily.

If you really want to free up some space and time, look at the areas in which you're controlling and see how you can change. You'll know if you're trying to control others if you try to take over, have your own personal agenda and get other people to do what you want whether it's right for them or not. You're wanting to control when you believe that it has to be done your way and aren't open to other suggestions or possibilities. What will it take for you to let go of being in control?

Delegating can also be difficult for people who have unmet needs, such as the need to please everyone, to keep people happy, to be liked by everyone, and to do everything. You'll be able to delegate better when these needs are satisfied. When you resist delegating, ask yourself, "What is my need in this situation that's stopping me from delegating?" If, for instance, your answer is the need to please everyone, consider in what other ways you can meet this need and free yourself to delegate the task.

Another reason you might avoid delegating is that you enjoy having lots to do and are always pushing yourself. You end up relying on adrenaline to keep going. This is unhealthy. Using adrenaline to get through life causes lots of ups and downs. You need to shift from adrenaline to a healthier and steadier source of energy.

Your ego may also be stopping you from delegating. When you expect other people to agree with you, when you stop listening to feedback, when you have disregard for people, and when you need time, money and attention from others to feel fulfilled, your ego's getting in the way. You need to set aside your ego and start living from your true self. Invest in your mind, body and spirit for a healthier life. You'll receive what you really want in your life in a healthy way without demanding from other people. Where in your life is your ego getting in the way of delegating? What will it take for you to shift from your ego to your true self?

How to delegate effectively

Now that you've identified what's stopping you from delegating, you need to learn how to delegate. Before you decide to delegate a task, make sure it's not one that could be eliminated or automated instead. Also, don't delegate tasks that you're really good at. You want to continue handling the tasks that call on your brilliance.

Great delegation is about delegating an outcome rather than dumping a problem on someone else. So, when you're delegating a task to someone else, give them plenty of information about your desired results. Offer clear and measurable objectives. When you're discussing how the task can be achieved, listen to the other person. They may have different ideas on how this can be handled fairly for everyone involved.

To whom should you delegate? Choose a person who would really enjoy the task and who has the appropriate skills or willingness to learn them. Also, select people that you trust rather than choosing just anyone and hoping it'll work out okay. Trust them to do their best and leave them feeling an important part of the process.

Be available to receive reports on how the delegated task is going and let the person know that you're there to discuss any problems early on, rather than letting the problem get out of hand.

Start by delegating small tasks and when these have been done correctly, increase the tasks. Teach the person the tasks and assist them in discovering the best way to carry them out for themselves. Allow yourself three times as long with this, so that you can really be with the person, understand their concerns or challenges, and assist them as fully as possible. Encourage them to set goals as they progress with the task. This will increase their ownership of the process. Let them know you confidence in them. Establish a deadline to build responsibility in the other person and to allow them to see the importance of the task. Communicate fully the consequences to everyone involved if the task is not carried out successfully. Let them see the end understand the bigger picture. Celebrate with and acknowledge each person's contribution. We all like to hear that we've done well.

Did you know that delegation doesn't just make your life easier--it also helps those to whom you delegate? Consider what you give to other people when you choose to delegate:

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   Responsibility

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   A sense of achievement

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   Enjoyment and fun in the sharing process

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   Income

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   Trust

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   An opportunity to grow, learn and contribute

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   An opportunity to be part of a team

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   The chance to increase their skills and self esteem.

Okay, so now you know the benefits of delegating, you've unblocked what's been stopping you delegating in the past and you know how to delegate effectively. What's the next step? My suggestion is to just take that next step, the action that's going to move you towards delegating more. This step will be different for all of you as you are individuals. It may be making a list of what you could delegate, thinking about what you would want in your life when you delegate more or finding someone to support you in this process. What are you now willing to delegate or automate in your life? You can all get to the place of delegating effectively and it's up to you to make that choice.

IT: It's Not Just About Technical Skills

IT: It's Not Just About Technical Skills

by Mike Schaffner, 11.11.09, 06:00 AM EST

Why interpersonal skills may be more important now.

 

While perusing the online versions of some of the more well-know information technology journals recently, I was surprised to find one that had quite a few stories on the stupidity of users. While these stories ostensibly were presented as humor, they also represent a dark side of IT behavior: The IT guys really are the smartest guys in the room, and users are dumb and annoying.

 

A closer reading of some of the stories shows the fallacy of this: Users were having problems, and the IT person was more concerned with showing his superiority than in providing customer service. This type of stereotypical behavior has long been an impediment to IT's success and acceptance in the corporate world.

 

The good news is that this attitude among IT workers isn't nearly as prevalent as it used to be. We've made great strides in improving customer service. These stories, however, show that our job is not complete. There is more to do.

The biggest part of developing the right attitude is realizing that it isn't all about us. The IT guys really may be the smartest guys in the room, but nobody cares. It is more about what gets done than about what you know. It is more about making the team (IT and business) successful than it is about individual accolades.

Information technology has become more self service. It used to be that you had to get everything through the IT department. IT built the databases, and you could only get the data out or get it analyzed by asking IT to do it for you.

Over time, the role of IT has shifted from knowledge provider to knowledge facilitator. We no longer extract and analyze data. Instead we provide tools enabling users to do this themselves.

 

With this shift in roles, IT support must shift from doing to enabling. This means IT has to focus on understanding the user's needs and providing training and tools. It also means understanding the business in order to suggest ways to use technology that meets needs. It involves, dare I say it, empathy, a word not always associated with IT.

Being successful in this role depends on personal skills, such as:

 

--Being a good listener to learn what the user needs and a willingness to listen completely without jumping in with the answer.

--Being a good interviewer to draw information from our users.

 

--Being good at explaining and teaching.

 

These skills can be as important and perhaps more important than raw technical skills.

Accordingly we, as IT leaders, need to change our perspective. We need to work to develop these skills in our people. Technical ability alone is no longer enough. We cannot continue to hire people and do personnel evaluations based solely on technical skills. Likewise, the training we provide has to go beyond just technical training.

When we do personnel evaluation or are hiring, we should include our user community in the process. Having our users interview candidates can provide some useful feedback on how the candidate relates to people outside IT, how well they communicate, how well they listen.

Users also can provide valuable insight into just how good our customer service really is. Getting this insight is extremely important for personnel evaluations. Perhaps we should rate this just as highly as technical skills.

If we expect people to change, we also have to help them. Rather than sending people to a software conference or the latest programming class, perhaps we should send them to classes on team dynamics or finance for non-financial people.

As the role of IT has shifted over time, the skills of our people need to shift, and we as IT leaders need to be actively involved in making this happen.

 

Mike Schaffner directsinformation technology for the Valve and Measurement Group of Cameron in Houston and aims to infuse a business-based approach to IT management. He also blogs regularly at Beyond Blinking Lights and Acronyms, and you can follow him on Twitter at mikeschaffner.

Writing Skills

Before You Write It Down, Know This

Many people are intimidated by writing. Even so, there are times when writing is the best way to communicate, and oftentimes the only way to get your message across.

Write With Necessary Caution...

When writing, be mindful of the fact that once something is in written form, it cannot be taken back. Communicating in this way is more concrete than verbal communications, with less room for error and even less room for mistakes. This presents written communicators with new challenges, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, even writing style and actual wording.

Thankfully, today’s technology makes memo, letter and proposal writing much easier by providing reliable tools that check and even correct misspelled words and incorrect grammar use. Unfortunately, these tools are not fail proof and will require your support, making your knowledge in this area important.

The Importance of "Style"...

Some of the most basic tips to remember when writing include:

• Avoid the use of slang words
• Try not to use abbreviations (unless appropriately defined)
• Steer away from the use of symbols (such as ampersands [&])
• Clichés should be avoided, or at the very least, used with caution
• Brackets are used to play down words or phrases
• Dashes are generally used for emphasis
• Great care should ALWAYS be taken to spell the names of people and companies correctly
• Numbers should be expressed as words when the number is less than 10 or is used to start a sentence (example: Ten years ago, my brother and I…). The number 10, or anything greater than 10, should be expressed as a figure (example: My brother has 13 Matchbox cars.)
• Quotation marks should be placed around any directly quoted speech or text and around titles of publications.
• Keep sentences short

While the above tips cover the most common mistakes made when writing letters, memos and reports, they in no way cover everything you need to know to ensure your written communications are accurate and understood.

While this takes some practice, there are many sources available to assist with writing style, including “The Elements of Style”, by Strunk and White. One glance in any newsroom or on the desk of even the most accomplished writers and you are sure to find this small, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, no-nonsense guide to writing. It is clear, concise and perhaps the best book of its kind. If you plan on writing a great deal of letters or even proposals, it is strongly recommended that you pick up this nifty guide, which by the way, will fit in your shirt pocket.

Letter Writing Hints...

When writing letters, it is best to address the letter to an individual. And, when beginning the letter with a personal name, be sure to end it with an appropriate closing, such as ‘Sincerely yours’. If you cannot obtain an individual’s name, consider ending it with a more generic (less personal) closing, such as ‘With kindest regards’.

For normal business letters, your letter should start with an overall summary, showing in the first paragraph why the letter is relevant to the reader. It’s not a good practice to make the reader go past the first paragraph to find out why the letter was sent to them.

The body of the letter needs to explain the reason for the correspondence, including any relevant background and current information. Make sure the information flows logically, ensuring you are making your points effectively.

The closing of the letter is the final impression you leave with the reader. End with an action point, such as ‘I will call you later this week to discuss this further’.

The Importance of Careful Proofing

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when writing a letter is to check it thoroughly when it is completed. Even when you think it is exactly what you want, read it one more time. This “unwritten” rule holds true for everything you write – memos, letters, proposals, and so on.

Use both the grammar and spell check on your computer, paying very, very close attention to every word highlighted. Do not place total faith on your computer here. Instead, you should have both a printed dictionary and thesaurus nearby to double-check everything your computers editing tools highlight, as these tools are certainly not always reliable, for a variety of reasons.

When checking your written communications, make sure the document is clear and concise. Is there anything in the written communication that could be misinterpreted? Does it raise unanswered questions or fail to make the point you need to get across?

Can you cut down on the number of words used? For instance, don’t use 20 words when you can use 10. While you do not want to be curt or abrupt, you do not want to waste the reader’s time with unnecessary words or phrases.

Is your written communication well organized? Does each idea proceed logically to the next? Make sure your written communications are easy to read and contain the necessary information, using facts where needed and avoiding information that is not relevant. Again, outline the course of action you expect, such as a return call or visit.

Close appropriately, making sure to include your contact information. While this may seem obvious, it is sometimes overlooked and can make your written communications look amateurish. This can diminish your chances of meeting your written communication’s goals.

A New Approach to Mentoring

A New Approach to Mentoring

These days, you need more than a single person. You need a network.

By KATHY E. KRAM and MONICA C. HIGGINS

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Working with a mentor is a classic recipe for success in business. But the traditional mentoring relationship just doesn't work anymore.

Typically, you choose a single senior colleague -- or get assigned to one -- who can show you the ropes and open the right doors. But the world of work has gotten too complicated for one person to provide all the guidance and opportunities you need to manage challenges and prepare for the future.

Consider this: How can one teacher know enough to help you keep up with rapidly changing technology, as well as navigate the challenges of globalization, a multicultural work force and team-based decision making? Even people who have served as mentors often need help staying abreast of all these changes.

A better approach is to create and cultivate a developmental network -- a small group of people to whom you can turn for regular mentoring support and who have a genuine interest in your learning and development. Think of it as your personal board of directors.

The composition of the group depends on where you are in your career and what you're looking for. If you're just getting started, you could certainly turn to your boss or assigned mentor for help. But you should also look further, seeking out peers to get feedback on areas where you need to improve, such as public speaking or working in teams.

At midcareer, you might look to other managers and people outside the organization; someone you know from a professional association might have insight on new ideas in your industry, for instance. Senior managers might get coaching from peers on the next steps to take in their career, from family members on achieving a better balance in their lives, and even from juniors who have crucial technical expertise vital to immediate business challenges.

What sets this group apart from people you network with more generally or from casual or one-time relationships? The relationships have a high degree of mutual learning and trust in which both individuals give and receive various kinds of informational, emotional and strategic support. What's more, these individuals have been enlisted by you to provide the guidance and support that will enable you to take the next step forward, whatever that next step may be.

A number of organizations are now helping employees build these kinds of networks. In one pharmaceutical company, for instance, product-development team leaders come together monthly in groups of 10 to 12 to coach one another. They start each meeting with a check-in where each member identifies new challenges, such as dealing with a poor performer and building a team that could deliver new designs in a timely manner. Members address each issue in turn, giving their peers possible strategies. The give and take also helps boost their interpersonal skills.

Boston University Professor Kathy Kram sits down with WSJ's Jennifer Merritt and shares the skills needed to build good relationships at work. (Sept. 22)

Similarly, in a consumer-products company, groups of junior executives have been meeting with a senior executive on a regular basis to discuss challenges they face as they seek positions of greater executive responsibility. Here, these junior executives have opportunities to enlist one or more peers and a senior executive into their developmental networks. And, in a major urban school district, informal mentoring circles for principals provide opportunities to enlist peers as members of their developmental networks to support their leadership development.

Developmental networks can also be extremely valuable in the context of global and multicultural business environments. For example, the challenges that expatriates face as they move abroad, and then again when they return to their home country, can be met most effectively when the expat has a strong developmental network to draw on.

These initiatives are beginning to show results in critical measures such as enhanced employee engagement and satisfaction, faster cycle times in new-product development, customer satisfaction and employee retention. The quality of developmental relationships is, indeed, a real source of competitive advantage.

Here's a look at the steps you need to take to develop your own developmental network.

1. Know Thyself

Although this tip may sound clichéd, it's crucial. When people seek out help, they generally aren't as well-prepared as they could be. Only if people know their own goals, strengths and weaknesses will they be able to figure out whom to turn to for support -- and know how to ask for and apply advice effectively.

You should start by reviewing appraisals and developmental feedback that you have received. And ask yourself tough questions. What do you really enjoy doing at work? How can you best contribute, given your talents and interests? Where would you like to be in two years? In five years? Are there skill and knowledge gaps that you want to fill? Do you have a healthy balance between your work and outside commitments? Who knows you well enough to give useful feedback?

You should also assess your interpersonal skills. Are you comfortable reaching out for help, sharing your experiences and soliciting feedback? Or even just starting conversations with strangers? If you have shortcomings here, it's vital that you address them, or you may have trouble creating an effective developmental network.

Fortunately, many organizations offer a range of activities to help people answer these kinds of questions, such as leadership-development programs and career-assessment tools.

2. Know Your Context

Knowing yourself is only half the equation. You must also know as much as possible about how to achieve your goal -- whether that means a promotion, a new career or simply better balance in life.

If you're looking to advance at your job, for instance, you must understand how the promotion process works at your company and figure out which potential sponsors might be keen on coaching you. If you want to change careers, you would want to be sure you understood the ins and outs of your desired field, everything from its hiring practices to what's expected in the job. A good way to proceed is to build up contacts in the industry, perhaps by attending professional conferences.

These new contacts may then introduce you to people already working in the area that you aspire to join. And if you nurture these relationships, over time these people may become part of your developmental network. But it's key to focus on a handful of relationships with individuals who seem to genuinely care about you and have wisdom or resources to offer. And be mindful of what you can offer to each of these individuals to create mutual learning.

3. Enlist Developers

Next, it's time to actually build your developmental network, enlisting people who can help you advance your goals. So, whom should you choose?

Let's say you're a product manager in a technology company aspiring to reach a higher position. You'll want to develop alliances with people at more senior levels who can sponsor and promote you, coach you and serve as a role model.

This, however, isn't sufficient. What about peers who can help you learn to navigate the company's politics and can share information about those at more senior levels? And are there individuals outside your organization who can help you keep learning? Professors or fellow students from graduate school could remind you about theories or practices that might be useful in your current job. Contacts at professional organizations could give you insights into new technology, while people in your family could act as a sounding board.

For some, forming outside developmental relationships may be just the kind of help they need to make a career change. Indeed, the greater the diversity of one's network, the more open-minded one is likely to be regarding next steps.

It is critical to remember that high-quality mentoring is a process of give and take, where both parties learn from each other. So, you should approach potential developers with a sense of how they might benefit from an association with you.

What can they learn from you -- new skills? Maybe they'll be able to develop insight into how people in your job see the world and prioritize what's important. Could helping you be an opportunity for a senior manager to hone coaching skills or to develop confidence in mentoring others?

Having a clear sense of these possibilities will make it easier for you to empathize with your allies, ask relevant questions and disclose relevant information about yourself as you ask for guidance.

4. Regularly Reassess

As your career and life unfold, you'll need to keep reassessing your developmental network; the setup that served you well a few years ago may not work as your situation changes. You must ask yourself which developers can still help you meet your goals, and which need to be eased aside for new ones.

This may sound calculating and borderline manipulative, but remember that you're not actually discarding old allies. As you bring new people into your network, don't discard the old ones, just look on them in a different way -- perhaps as valued friends whom you consult occasionally instead of colleagues that you frequently rely on for advice.

In short, it's a matter of being more intentional when it comes to seeking out advice, and this is relevant for everyone, at every career stage, not just for those starting out.

For a look at a successful reassessment, consider a young software executive we've interviewed. When he started out, he wanted to become an expert in dealing with client problems, so he sought out a senior colleague who served as a role model and eventually provided him with exposure to clients. He was promoted several times and built a strong developmental network, including his boss, the vice president of marketing, several of his immediate subordinates and one of his peers.

It Takes a Network

· The Situation: The traditional mentoring arrangement just doesn't work anymore. A single senior colleague can't possibly keep up with all the changes in the fast-moving world of work.

· The Solution: People should create and cultivate developmental networks instead -- small groups of people who provide regular advice and support.

· The Strategy: There are a number of steps to take when setting up a network, such as carefully assessing your strengths, weaknesses and goals and figuring out what you need to know to advance your goals. And when your network is in place, you should regularly reassess it as your situation changes -- while making sure that you help out your allies as much as they help you.

After 12 years, he was interested in moving into a leadership position where he could run one of the company's business units. But the current leaders appeared to be quite comfortable in their roles. And he began to feel that there were few people he could turn to for advice, given an increasing sense of competition among his peers (and his own fast-paced trajectory).

So, he began to build a developmental network that could help him manage his new challenges. The first person he turned to was his wife, who provided continuing support and confirmation during this difficult time. As she worked through the issues with him, she hit upon a crucial piece of advice, encouraging him to look outside the company for a new job where he could meet his goals. At the same time, he consulted an executive-search firm, which counseled him about where he might turn for opportunities.

Putting all of it together, he left his company for another firm, where he led several teams. Now he's considering launching a start-up of his own.

5. Develop Others

As you enlist people in your network, consider how you can benefit them, as well. Remember, high-quality mentoring is about mutual learning; consider how your high-quality relationships serve to develop others and your organization.

As you enlist more senior colleagues, for instance, you'll be providing them with opportunities to gain new knowledge from you, to hone their coaching skills and possibly boost their enthusiasm at work. Similarly, as you enlist junior colleagues in your developmental network to hone your coaching skills, you are creating an opportunity for them to bring you into their developmental networks. Exploring these complementary personal goals can solidify the relationship and ultimately help both of you and your organization.

If you're a senior leader, meanwhile, you should also work to foster developmental networks in your organization. Just by forming your own network, and joining other people's networks, you will serve as a role model. But you can also actively encourage coaching and mentoring among those that you manage, by designing jobs to encourage peer coaching, for example. And you can launch leadership-development programs that help individuals to develop the skills and self-awareness they'll need to build strong developmental networks.

Ultimately, these developmental networks can enhance organizational performance and development. It is, in essence, a win-win proposition for you and your organization.

—Dr. Kram is a professor of organizational behavior and a distinguished faculty scholar at Boston University's School of Management. Dr. Higgins is an associate professor focused on leadership and organizational behavior at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.