Shedding power

Yaw Asamoah Opinion May - 26 - 2015 , 14:59

It is always a headache to assign power and authority to people you know little about or who are not willing to think for themselves. Many a time, managers and leaders are their own enemies when it comes to delegation. It is usually a battle of trust and responsibility. Will the subordinate be a shared thinker and one to take calculated steps to ensure that the results are achieved?

In delegating, it is not the process which is supposed to be dictated, rather the results. The processes might differ somewhat, but the key principles of actions, efforts and alignments must be towed so superiors and onlookers are comfortable. Steve Covey, an American author writes, “Never delegate methods, only results.”

In this article I will try and share my thoughts on delegation as a management leadership concept and how I think it should be done. In recent times, the biggest challenge business owners’ face is effective human resource. Due to unguarded motivations and very shallow philosophical underpinnings, workers have assumed aloof positions on the job and expect the head to do all the thinking and supervision.

Below are my five ideas to delegation.

Develop trust

Mack Story, a leadership expert, wrote:

With trust, everything is possible. Without trust, everything is questioned.

With trust, things happen fast. Without trust, things happen slowly, if at all.

With trust relationships grow, without trust, relationships wither.

With trust, we always know, without trust, we never know.

The above sums up everything about trust. It is a very vulnerable and unpredictable moral value but guess what, it is the same with all values. You will not be able to achieve much without trust. Delegate to somebody you are willing to trust.

Develop it by gradually giving this person less involving tasks and moving to difficult ones. Be frank with this person and let them know the stakes. They will definitely make mistakes, at such times let them know the cost and do not take the power and authority you have given them back, unless they are a basket case.

Take each mistake as an investment which is preparing them for the future. There are times you should set traps for them to fall in, but always be around to advice.

Be flexible

Shedding power can be a dangerous enterprise; the uncertainties involved and discretion which has to be exercised to make sure that you are not micromanaging the subordinate.

Delegation is not an opportunity to give all access, it should be guided and clear boundaries set. Being flexible is allowing the subordinate to make his/her own decisions in some areas without recourse to you; asking less of their decisions and rather probing for reasons behind their decisions and whether they are in line to achieving the goals set.

Oftentimes you will disagree with decisions subordinates have made and might be tempted to step in. During such times, take a deep breath and ask yourself if their actions will bring the name of the organisation into disrepute or they are just issues of style.

If it is just style, let it slide or have a conversation just to be sure. If the actions will affect the organisation somewhat, then have a mutually respectful discussion and state your case as a colleague not as the boss, because at this stage, you need a partner who is a shared thinker.

Delegate for growth and productivity

Give power only to people who share your values, goals and are willing to defend them come what may. They must also be people you personally respect - people you are prepared to defend. The last thing you want as a manager or leader is to delegate to people who cannot think or are not prepared to think.

They will come to you with every objection and exercise no authority or ingenuity in solving problems. Do not delegate with the sole aim of holding on to all the power to yourself, it will only frustrate you. Instead of letting people fulfil a task and revert to you before the next course of action, recommend a course of action with clearly defined goals and reporting lines.

Keep in touch

After you have delegated, be around. Most of the time managers delegate with the notion that they have nothing to do than take time off. You only delegate so you can get to create new lines of authority and extend your influence and power.

Regularly meet with subordinates to have a drink, corner office discussions or share a laughter. Making subordinates understand you more and share your personal life with them develops trust and helps them to be focused.

Measure results

In measuring results, have a reporting system in place. Make it a regular activity so you can monitor progress. Reporting or feedbacks should not be set too far apart so you can keep track of development.

Treat the essence of measuring results as an opportunity to show respect to the work the subordinate has done so far and also as a guide to achieving the set goals. Do not impose your style, rather have a respectful discussion on your ideas and thoughts.

Conclusion

At some point in managing and leading, you will need to shed power so you create new ones. The discernment to do such, comes with maturity, loving the people you work with and knowing that you cannot do it all. — GB

Yaw Asamoah work’s at Creative Trends, the organisers of the African SME Summit. Let’s continue the discussion at African SME Summit on Facebook. Email - dreamingafrica@

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