Papa Nix - Is There Room for Growth at 70?

Thought about my "mentor" Michael at a previous place when I read this in "Questions that Get Results" by Paul Cherry and Patrick Connor :

What does it mean to delegate? So many people misunderstand this word and underestimate how complex the delegation process can be. Delegating is not about giving another person a job to do that you do not want. It is our belief that delegating is empowering others to grow, professionally or personally, while using the company's resources effectively. Delegating also involves leveraging the talents and intelligence of those who work for you, sharing the load and letting go of some of the day to day problems that you normally encounter. Finally, it is cultivating the gifts of those  subordinate to you so that they are ready to take over your job when you get promoted. For many managers, the advice to let go and delegate some of their responsibilities to their subordinates is a major challenge - on that is very difficult to meet because it represents a paradigm shift from their past behaviors. People in positions of authority generally get to the top by taking control and getting things done. The idea that they should now step back and let someone else take over areas of responsibility can be uncomfortable, frightening and even feel a little dangerous like an unnecessary risk. 

The specific line that I remember : "I'll probably delegate the IPCR." Still, he has done a decent job contributing to humanity.

More from this valuable resource :

One reasons managers hesitate to delegate : fear. The employee will not be able to complete the task as quickly or effectively. Because they don't want to be seen as incompetent, they often worry that one of their employees will fail to deliver and cause a problem, which then will fall back into their lap, raising questions about their leadership abilities. 

The second reason is control. Some managers want to control as much as possible within their realm of responsibility. This type does not want to relinquish any power because they want to be regarded as the person who gets things done. IT managers like being seen as the technology experts in the office. They like it that everyone comes to them to troubleshoot all the tech issues that arise. It is understandable that IT managers start to thrive on feeling important, making it hard for them to let go and allow others to earn reputations as experts in their field. "If someone else can do my job, then why would they keep me around." Managers whose thinking is governed by fear or a need to control are especially noticeable during a bad economy because there so much angst about job security.

The third reason is lack of awareness. Some managers simply don't know how to delegate, so they avoid it. They blithely assume it is not an issue and wrongly believe they have no reason to delegate. Oblivious, they allow work to pile up around them and wonder why they are stretched so thin. (this was another issue at that place. There was almost no scope for picking up higher-level work. It was so ludicrous that the WiFi password included 247 because the joke was the top guy worked his ass off) These are the managers who do not want to burden their employees with extra work. So they take on everything themselves. Malheuresement, they are also the ones who complain constantly about an imbalance between their work life and their home life. While this posture may seem noble at times, what it does is deprive employees of the opportunities to learn new skills while keeping managers from mentoring, coaching and developing new business. 

Finally, there are those who do not delegate because they lack confidence in their employees. They question whether their employees have the desire and the skill level to take on more responsibilities. This lack of confidence soon finds its way into the psyche of the employees until they, too, cannot do more than the menial jobs to which they have been assigned. If you don't delegate, you don't take full advantage of the resources around you.

Before going further, (hope Papa Nix and the dreaded DK hear this one) we should make clear the difference between delegating and dumping. Delegating involves giving others responsibilities that will empower them to develop their skills and grow in their positions. Dumping, on TOH, involves passing off busy work so that you do not have to do it yourself. If the task is tedious and mundane and the person to which it is being delegated would not see it as a growth opportunity, then it should not be delegated. 

If you are awash in busy work, then hire a person for the office to take care of it. In other words, protect your talent from busy work!