March 15, 2017 at 14:52The rake on delegation I stepped on
I worked as a leading developer in the company and when the project began to expand, they began to take more people and made me the leader of the group. It so happened that I rested for a long time and wanted to be a good developer, and so that everyone would leave me behind with the leadership of people. After many years, my leader, nevertheless, managed to teach me how to lead, but this path was long and difficult. I recently read the article " Delegation as Art " and remembered a rake that I had walked more than once. Here they are in all its glory:
This is my task! . “I want to solve it and I don’t want to give it to anyone. How can I give this task to another person, it’s so interesting for me to invent and implement, and then watch how wonderful everything works. ”
What is the problem?
The fact is that by the time you need to delegate your tasks, you most likely have not one, but 10, 20 or more important tasks. Important and necessary, which must be done by a certain date. Your employee, to whom you could give this task, has less of them, or they are not so important and they can be moved. Perhaps I had more experience in solving such problems, and based on this I could solve it better. If only I had this task. But since I have a bunch of others and they all do not fit even in an extended working day of more than 8 hours, the solution to these problems is delayed or delayed. In addition, the person who receives the task will be able to devote all his time to it. So, perhaps it will make it much better. Too much “maybe”? Let's assume that he will make her worse than you would do yourself. But certainly before.
And as someone smart (I don’t remember who) said: “A good decision on Monday is better than a great one on Friday.”
Solution:
I began to give tasks, while it is desirable to directly give the whole task without imposing my own solution. It helps in the early stages of the discussion of the process at each stage: planning a solution to the problem, dividing into stages, discussion at the beginning and at the end of each of the stages.
Pros: time will be freed up for solving other problems, or perhaps the working day will again be 8 hours and you will finally get enough sleep and stay with your family. The person to whom you will give the task will contribute to the project and will have the opportunity to “pump over” their skills, and questions about implementation in the future will be asked not to you, but to him.
I'm the smartest. I don’t want to delegate some tasks, as there is a mistrust of colleagues. Sometimes the thought arises: “Give the task, and there everything is implemented not as it should.”
What is the problem?
They become the smartest when solving complex tasks. Feel it? The problem here is that without giving employees more and more complex tasks, their level does not increase. You do not give them a chance to grow.
Solution:
Perhaps you are the smartest. It is possible that they will not be implemented perfectly - but then again, somehow it will work. A working system with flaws is always better than an ideal and not implemented system. You can discuss the task and agree on the implementation, see above.
Here explain longer than do. “To do - to do 5 minutes, and to explain - 30 minutes, and sometimes 2 hours. I'll do it myself! ”
What is the problem?
Typically, such 5-minute tasks occur periodically. They, it seems, are not big, but they eat up time and distract from more important tasks.
Solution:
Give them back! Do not want to talk for 2 hours - write the documentation in 3 hours - but it will remain for other colleagues.
Sometimes such tasks are also urgent. Give, show, tell how to do such tasks to at least two employees. So you will be freed from one factor distracting from important tasks, employees will learn more, learn to do something new. If possible, automate this task if you already have an understanding of how to do this. But, first, give it back - so there will be time for automation.
I will write documentation later, when there is time. If you have a frequently changing project and a team of 5 people, then in this case, perhaps, the documentation is too big a luxury.
Write documentation for a long time and then you still need to tell.
What is the problem?
With the expansion of the project, you will not notice how you find yourself among the few knowledge carrierswho will be asked by new employees all day what and how it works. And the funny thing is that some of them will do this periodically, for example once a month, when they have a task. It’s scary to imagine how much time many developers could save just by writing documentation in time.
Solution:
It is necessary to write documentation, show it, and every time they ask a question to supplement the documentation.
If you are engaged in some big task with a lot of nuances - and there is a need to give it up on the horizon - save yourself time - write documentation and instructions. Yes, you will still be asked questions - complete the documentation on them. Questions are your helpers.
In the presence of relevant documentation, a lot of advantages! It facilitates the transfer of a new person to this task, allows you to give the task to more people. Also, if you suddenly decide to change jobs tomorrow or “go to Tahiti and paint pictures like Gauguin” - tasks will also be done, it will be easier for you to do this.
Everyone is already very busy, they also have no time . “How will I give up this task? After all, everyone is also very busy? and she’s so boring and uninteresting, and it seems to take a little time. I’ll do it myself. ”
What is the problem?
The fact that such tasks take up your precious time. Literally precious. For the company. After all, your salary is probably higher than the salary of your subordinates. So calculate how much the company overpays you for this routine task for you.
Second moment. This task is routine and understandable for you. And for your employee this may be new and interesting material. If it becomes a routine for him, either he already has someone to give it to, or it can be automated.
Solution:
As you may have guessed, the task must be given. It’s right to look for someone - there will surely be someone who has time for her, and for him she will be new.
Summary
Delegation is a wonderful way that you can improve your level - freeing up time for new and important tasks for which it was previously lacking. And at the same time, you can increase the level of your subordinates by giving them new tasks.
When do you need to delegate? When you already know this task like the back of your hand and you can do it even while in a state of extreme fatigue, after 1 day without sleep, in a state of intoxication, etc.
Why? This task no longer develops you. Do not be greedy - give it away, it will develop another person, and you will free up time for new achievements.
When you drag everything on yourself - share your work with others. In most cases, you can sort out what you are already doing on the machine, and either automate it or give it away. Not! Not this way! In any case, give it back, and if you already know how, then automate it.
This is my task! . “I want to solve it and I don’t want to give it to anyone. How can I give this task to another person, it’s so interesting for me to invent and implement, and then watch how wonderful everything works. ”
What is the problem?
The fact is that by the time you need to delegate your tasks, you most likely have not one, but 10, 20 or more important tasks. Important and necessary, which must be done by a certain date. Your employee, to whom you could give this task, has less of them, or they are not so important and they can be moved. Perhaps I had more experience in solving such problems, and based on this I could solve it better. If only I had this task. But since I have a bunch of others and they all do not fit even in an extended working day of more than 8 hours, the solution to these problems is delayed or delayed. In addition, the person who receives the task will be able to devote all his time to it. So, perhaps it will make it much better. Too much “maybe”? Let's assume that he will make her worse than you would do yourself. But certainly before.
And as someone smart (I don’t remember who) said: “A good decision on Monday is better than a great one on Friday.”
Solution:
I began to give tasks, while it is desirable to directly give the whole task without imposing my own solution. It helps in the early stages of the discussion of the process at each stage: planning a solution to the problem, dividing into stages, discussion at the beginning and at the end of each of the stages.
Pros: time will be freed up for solving other problems, or perhaps the working day will again be 8 hours and you will finally get enough sleep and stay with your family. The person to whom you will give the task will contribute to the project and will have the opportunity to “pump over” their skills, and questions about implementation in the future will be asked not to you, but to him.
I'm the smartest. I don’t want to delegate some tasks, as there is a mistrust of colleagues. Sometimes the thought arises: “Give the task, and there everything is implemented not as it should.”
What is the problem?
They become the smartest when solving complex tasks. Feel it? The problem here is that without giving employees more and more complex tasks, their level does not increase. You do not give them a chance to grow.
Solution:
Perhaps you are the smartest. It is possible that they will not be implemented perfectly - but then again, somehow it will work. A working system with flaws is always better than an ideal and not implemented system. You can discuss the task and agree on the implementation, see above.
Here explain longer than do. “To do - to do 5 minutes, and to explain - 30 minutes, and sometimes 2 hours. I'll do it myself! ”
What is the problem?
Typically, such 5-minute tasks occur periodically. They, it seems, are not big, but they eat up time and distract from more important tasks.
Solution:
Give them back! Do not want to talk for 2 hours - write the documentation in 3 hours - but it will remain for other colleagues.
Sometimes such tasks are also urgent. Give, show, tell how to do such tasks to at least two employees. So you will be freed from one factor distracting from important tasks, employees will learn more, learn to do something new. If possible, automate this task if you already have an understanding of how to do this. But, first, give it back - so there will be time for automation.
I will write documentation later, when there is time. If you have a frequently changing project and a team of 5 people, then in this case, perhaps, the documentation is too big a luxury.
Write documentation for a long time and then you still need to tell.
What is the problem?
With the expansion of the project, you will not notice how you find yourself among the few knowledge carriers
Solution:
It is necessary to write documentation, show it, and every time they ask a question to supplement the documentation.
If you are engaged in some big task with a lot of nuances - and there is a need to give it up on the horizon - save yourself time - write documentation and instructions. Yes, you will still be asked questions - complete the documentation on them. Questions are your helpers.
In the presence of relevant documentation, a lot of advantages! It facilitates the transfer of a new person to this task, allows you to give the task to more people. Also, if you suddenly decide to change jobs tomorrow or “go to Tahiti and paint pictures like Gauguin” - tasks will also be done, it will be easier for you to do this.
Everyone is already very busy, they also have no time . “How will I give up this task? After all, everyone is also very busy? and she’s so boring and uninteresting, and it seems to take a little time. I’ll do it myself. ”
What is the problem?
The fact that such tasks take up your precious time. Literally precious. For the company. After all, your salary is probably higher than the salary of your subordinates. So calculate how much the company overpays you for this routine task for you.
Second moment. This task is routine and understandable for you. And for your employee this may be new and interesting material. If it becomes a routine for him, either he already has someone to give it to, or it can be automated.
Solution:
As you may have guessed, the task must be given. It’s right to look for someone - there will surely be someone who has time for her, and for him she will be new.
Summary
Delegation is a wonderful way that you can improve your level - freeing up time for new and important tasks for which it was previously lacking. And at the same time, you can increase the level of your subordinates by giving them new tasks.
When do you need to delegate? When you already know this task like the back of your hand and you can do it even while in a state of extreme fatigue, after 1 day without sleep, in a state of intoxication, etc.
Why? This task no longer develops you. Do not be greedy - give it away, it will develop another person, and you will free up time for new achievements.
When you drag everything on yourself - share your work with others. In most cases, you can sort out what you are already doing on the machine, and either automate it or give it away. Not! Not this way! In any case, give it back, and if you already know how, then automate it.