Page 17 - Twenty Four Lessons for Mastering Your New Role

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Set up controls and checkpoints to monitor your employees’
progress. Discuss how you can both evaluate progress and measure a
project’s success.
Define clear goals and expectations for the assignment. But
don’t explain how to do it. Let others discover for themselves how to
follow through.
New managers often assume that once they delegate, they’re no
longer accountable for the results. But handing over responsibility
and authority to employees has its limits. Ultimate accountability
remains with you—whether you realize it or not.
Rookie managers sometimes fall into the trap of taking an assign-
ment back unwittingly. They might say, “Here, let me show you,” and
they wind up doing the whole project. Avoid this by letting employ-
ees problem-solve for themselves.
Follow these pointers to delegate well:
Step back: Select tasks that employees can control and implement
on their own. Make sure the individual can exercise judgment and
autonomy. If you micromanage, delegating does more harm than
good.

Clarify the assignment: Confirm that employees understand the
purpose, the goal and the performance measures you’ll use to judge
success. Remove ambiguities and set a clear deadline.
Run an “I’m not here” test: Identify key aspects of your job—and
decide who could handle those responsibilities in your absence. By
anticipating what you want employees to do when you’re not there,
you can delegate pieces of your managerial duties to them now so
they’re ready to step in later.

“Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by
giving it away.”
—James B. Stockdale

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