Comments on: Yahoo column: 7 Ways to be a better delegator

By: Writing without typos is totally outdated » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:29:23 +0000

[…] no amount of work seems like enough. They are more likely to be unhappy with their work because delegating is nearly impossible if you are a perfectionist. And they are more likely to have social problems because people mired […]

By: Mark W.

Mark W. — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:10:20 +0000

The only disappointment I had with this post is that I had to click to Yahoo Finance to read all 7 ways. Definitely their loss. I thought #3 (Focus on helping people grow)was really good - especially “It entails giving people a little attention all the time instead of giving them lots of attention only when they mess up.” I believe it falls under the concept of nuturing. Delegating doesn’t come ‘naturally’ to me and I have to work at it. I find it’s also a function of my relationship with the person to whom I’m delegating. I delegated today (not work) and while at first I was skeptical and reluctant, things turned out much better than expected. I guess I’ll just have to get over my fear of delegating!

By: The Most Important Rules of Delegation : PM Stories

The Most Important Rules of Delegation : PM Stories — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:11:39 +0000

[…] reasons of our distrust towards our team and how can we overwhelm them. Penelope Trunk says that our ability to do things perfectly isn’t as highly valued as we think it is. In fact, perfectionism isn’t valuable in 80 percent of the work we do and it is so unhealthy […]

By: Fabulous Financials v2.0 » Coffee Break to Spread Some Link Love

Fabulous Financials v2.0 » Coffee Break to Spread Some Link Love — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:37:24 +0000

[…] 7 ways to be a better delegator. […]

By: just me

just me — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:34:48 +0000

I’ve been flipping through your blog in bits and pieces. I’m not really much of one to read other people’s ramblings… but to be honest, the last three articles really made sense. So I’m adding your feed to my rss reader. And lucky you! You get to sit between Fark.com and 8-bit theater.

By: GreatManagement

GreatManagement — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:55:41 +0000

Great article, Penelope.

One thing I’d like to add:

When you do delegate, ensure you allocate time and be supportive.
You may want to agree a schedule and arrange to meet up and compare notes. After a few weeks, check how the activity is going. Remember you are not simply just dumping work on them, you are actually working with them to make sure they can carry out the work you want. You should make sure you are available to them, so that they can come and talk to you if they have a problem or need advice.

Andrew

By: JIngles the Clown

JIngles the Clown — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:22:47 +0000

Hi, I agree with much of this, though took exception at the closing of #3, “And when your direct reports love having you around, they do their best work for you out of loyalty. Even younger workers — those notorious job-hoppers — are loyal to respectful, hands-on managers.”

What I’ve found is that you could be the most amazing boss in the world and younger workers will still job hop because 1). they don’t appreciate yet that the manager-managee relationship is inherently unequal and what while you can do the best you can to ameloriate the power imbalance, it’s always there . You know it, they know it, and they sometimes grow to resent it — esp. the star players. 2). Many of them don’t have sufficient experience to know good management when they see it. They’ll kick themselves in retrospect for leaving that kind boss and that respectful environment for what they thought would be greener pastures. 3). Younger workers — in fact, most workers — are loyal only to themselves, and I can’t say that I blame them, seeing as how most corporations treat non-executive workers as dispensable and unimportant.

In my first job out of college, I was given so much latitude it wasn’t even funny. Of course I left for more money, like an idiot. I’m now a manager and fully expect that my stars will need to move on sooner than I’d like. That’s the way it works.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:51:31 +0000

You know, I consider myself a good delegator, and the result is that I am able to accomplish a lot of work in less time.

Old school managers are really impressed if you put in a lot of time toiling away at who knows what. I’ve always been confused when it’s considered a good thing to put in a lot of extra hours (how come these people are not questioned as to why it’s taking them so long to get the job done?). Therefore, when someone is judged on their outcomes, delegating makes total sense because you can do a better job quicker. However, it’s easy to see why people don’t delegate if what their job performance is based on is how fast they (as the proverbial hampsters) can run in their wheel.

By: joseph

joseph — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:56:41 +0000

Great article! It will surely help me in my future work as a nurse. Thanks a lot.

By: Scott Messinger

Scott Messinger — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:33:15 +0000

I agree with the point about hands-off management. The point of a manager is to tell his people what to do! Of course I don’t want a manager to be looking over my shoulder every second. But if he’s going to hand me a vague goal and walk away for weeks, then how the heck am I gonna know if I’m doing it right?