Leadership - Leadership Development...

Integral to the success of delegation is the development of employees' self- esteem. The use of self-esteem as a motivator is a recent phenomenon. In the 1930s the issue was irrelevant. Back then, the issues were money, security and survival - the very things that were in short supply. Recent distinct improvements in the satisfaction of these survival needs have brought with them a whole new set of drives. Workers have begun to complain about a lack of dignity and respect. With increasing turnover rates, absenteeism and other forms of alienation and dissatisfaction, managers can no longer maintain that workers only care about getting a paycheck.

1. Delegation helps people below you in the organization grow and thereby pushes you even higher in management. It provides you with more time to take on higher-priority projects.

2. Find out what the talents and interests of your people are and you will be able to delegate more intelligently and effectively.

3. Never underestimate a person's potential. Delegate slightly more than what you think the person is capable of handling. Expect them to succeed, and you will be pleasantly surprised more often than not.

4. Clearly define what outcome is needed, then let individuals use their own creative thinking to determine how to get that outcome.

5. Clearly define the limits of authority that go with the delegated job. Can the person hire other people to work with them? What are the spending constraints?

6. Do not avoid delegating something because you cannot give someone the entire project. Let the person start with a bite-sized piece. After learning and doing that portion, they can accept larger pieces and areas of responsibility.

7. Clear standards of performance will help the person know when he is doing exactly what is expected.

8. Delegation is taking a risk that the other person might make a mistake. People learn from mistakes and will be able to do the project correctly the next time. Where would you be if no one had ever taken a chance on you?

The fact is that management experts and psychologists have shown that a salary increase is not necessarily the ultimate motivator. Unless you cannot live on your present salary, more money is often a weak incentive. In addition to providing money to live on, most people work every day to satisfy their need for structure and predictability in their lives. Look at the endless number of rich men who continue to work every day. Precisely because their basic needs are being met, workers today do not automatically accept authoritarian, dehumanizing styles of management.