Managers Part XX - Delegation & Assignments

One of the core concepts of getting control of your time as a manager is learning to delegate. Before you can do that, you have to understand what delegation is and how it's different from assignment. One way to look at assignment, or assigning tasks, is that it's the manager telling people what to do. They complete one task, then are given another, or are given a list of tasks to be completed in a set time frame. Delegation, on the other hand, occurs when a manager communicates her expectations, draws the big picture, and gives her subordinates the freedom to make it happen in their own way. There is a continuum of assignment/delegation, with a new employee figuratively having their hand held as they go through their day, being told what every step is. This progresses to asking for assignments and then to knowing what to do, but checking with the boss. Eventually, the subordinate is able to self-assign without checking with his manager.

Delegation is not to be confused with abdication of responsibility. I have seen plenty of hands-off managers who are loved by their employees because they "let them do their jobs", when closer inspection would reveal that they aren't doing their jobs, they're doing something but the manager is too conflict-averse to actually manage them. These employees might benefit from some direction from their manager, but in its absence they set their own standards. These standards might be convenient for them, but also might be out of sync with the standards and goals of the company. In situations like this neither delegation nor assignment is taking place. The employees who realize that they have the freedom to do spend their work days however they like will become resentful when some manager higher up the chain of command tries to correct things, or a new manager, who knows how to manage comes on board. The employees who expect to be assigned tasks will, in the absence of any direction, badger the manager for instruction, ironically tying up his day micromanaging. Thus the management pyramid is turned upside down.

This morning I entered a local grocery store and immediately became aware of two things that were out of place. One was sign on the front of the building announcing that a fundraiser was taking place. The problem was that this fundraiser was yesterday. The second was overflowing trash cans in the lobby of the store. Of course trash cans get full and people forget to do things like take down signs, but I frequently interpret little things like that in light of management or in some cases, customer service.

Why was that sign still up? Perhaps whoever was supposed to remove it simply forgot. But my management brain looked at it differently. Most likely no one had been assigned the task of removing that sign when the event was completed. It wasn't on anyone's to-do list, so it didn't get done. The store director, or department manager, whoever had set up this event, did not think to add this to "the list". Which brings us to delegation. There were likely several managers, including the store director, the evening supervisor, perhaps the front end manager, who were overall responsible for the store being fully staffed, fully stocked and clean. All of these people should have been trained as to what state the store should be in and had been delegated the responsibility of making sure that those standards were met. Surely this included walking outside periodically. By the time I arrived several manager shifts had come on duty and walked in the front door since that sign became outdated. Same with the overflowing trash cans. My guess is that whoever is specifically assigned to empty trash had clocked out between 6:00 and 9:00pm and the next person so assigned had not arrived yet. In between, no one thought it was their job and the manager in charge hadn't followed up.

These may seem like small things, and they are, but they are indicative of a larger trend.

Management isn't about doing things, it's about getting things done. If you don't train and delegate, you'll be doing it all yourself, and if you don't follow up, things might get done, but they'll be the wrong things.