“Don’t do anything you are paying someone to do”
This advice came from a mentor and friend that was coaching me through the challenges I found in the first year of my first General Manager position. At first, this advice seemed to go against my general practice and work ethic as it related to my team. If I know I have the experience and the know-how, why wouldn’t I make the effort to assist or down-right complete a project in my operation?
The first reason this applies, and that it took me too long to learn, is that I simply do not have the hours in a day to accomplish everything in my operation. The number of tasks I find on my plate can vary, but the first tool in delegation is to identify what is important, and what only I can (or should) complete. The difficulty in a new position, is that I see the tasks I am familiar with, and want to participate in, but they are meshed with the tasks that only I can control.
In addition to this, by swooping in to finish a project, or to take it out of the hands of a direct report, I am unintentionally robbing them of the learning they can receive by doing the task. By not doing every task, you are in fact empowering the people you work with to learn, explore, and try new things. Stepping in and taking the task yourself limits the growth of the person you specifically hired to do the job. At best, this just causes them to not try as hard in these areas and stagnate, and at worst, it can sow seeds of mistrust and disenfranchisement.
An important caveat does need to be made – I strive to never do a job for someone (even if I see that they are headed for disaster) unless it meets two specific criteria – the company could suffer unreasonable harm from their actions (think of liability or horrible PR) or they specifically ask for my assistance.
It’s as important to allow others to take on new tasks as it is to let them fail sometimes while performing them. Each failure is a learning moment, so as long as the impact is not irreversible or detrimental to the operation, let them make the mistake so you can coach them later. They will learn to identify the important stages of the task or project, as well as identify when they need to ask for assistance.
Whenever I am asked to help with a project, no matter how small, the answer is “yes”. My primary objective is to support and coach my team so they can take the actions necessary to achieve our larger company goals. The day I am too good to pick up a broom because the Housekeeping Manager asks me to assist, should be the last day I have my position. That doesn’t mean that I sweep the lobby if it looks dirty – I notify the Housekeeping Manager that the area needs attention, and they determine how to address it (although it’s still very hard for me to not pick up small items as I walk the property. almost all GM’s I know are “pickers”).
Communicating clearly is essential to delegation, but once that is complete, your involvement should be to offer coaching through the task, reviewing the work or performance, and always being willing and prepared to assist whenever you are asked. Internally, focus on the fact that you are empowering and teaching your team by giving them these tasks, and remind yourself that the perfect is the enemy of the good. You will find that the work gets finished, and the end results are more freedom to focus on the most important things on your plate.
Thanks for checking in,
DPM