Letting Go

To develop high-performance employee partnerships, you must set an example. One way to accomplish this feat is to exhibit self-confidence. Show your confidence by delegating tasks and responsibilities to your team members. Delegate in a way that builds alliances so team members become interdependent, rather than dependent or independent. As a result, you will get an integrated organization.

Additional tips for high-performance employee partnering delegation are:

• Adjust your attitude and be willing to hand over control, if you can.

• Identify which tasks can be delegated, and then define the delegation for your employee.

• Create a training program because delegating without educating is a formula for disaster.

• Show trust in your team and encourage trust between members. Your employees will enjoy no greater honor than your trust.

• Spell out the limits, explain results wanted and define authority. Create a safety net so individuals can take risks. Even if they make mistakes, acknowledge the risks they took.

• Ask for, and agree on, a project/delegation deadline. Let employees tell you when they can get it done. Give the time parameters, and then get out of their way.

• Set intermediate goals and make sure the goals are being achieved. Regular follow up is crucial to success. A new employee, however, will need much more follow up than a veteran employee.

• Delegate with a purpose—don’t assign busy work. Explain the reason for the delegation and how the activity affects the workplace as a whole. Your employee will then have a buy-in—or better yet, an ownership of the project.

• Delegate the “what,” not the “how,” and get out of the way. Do not micro-manage.

• Be honest with your team members and assign tasks fairly based on ability and past performance. Be careful of the teacher’s pet syndrome—discrimination, for whatever reason, is destructive to workplace harmony.