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.
• Avoid perfectionism, especially if you are analytical. Give people a reasonable margin for error, and accept that “different” can also be effective.
• Debrief after the delegated project is complete. Ask for feedback from the employee you delegated the task to. Did you give him or her the authority and tools necessary to successfully complete the delegated task on time? Also, give helpful feedback to your employee on things to improve in the future.
• Do not assume the projects of others until you are sure you want the responsibility. If you take on something from your team members—which they should be doing—you can easily become the supervised rather than the supervisor.
It is important to be successful in building synergistic employee partnerships and developing empowered employees. Empowered employees take risks, are innovative and make the kind of decisions you would make. What more could you ask for as a leader?
BY ED RIGSBEE, CSP
Ed Rigsbee, CSP, is a leading national authority on business relationships. He is the author of “PartnerShift—How to Profit from the Partnering Trend,” “Developing Strategic Alliances” and “The Art of Partnering” and more than 1,000 published articles. As a regular keynoter for corporate and association conferences across North America, he offers solutions to relationship challenges. Contact him at (800) 839-1520 or Ed@Rigsbee.com. Visit his Partnering University website at www.rigsbee.com.