Monitor what you delegate. It’s a judgment issue on the delegation issue as far as trying to evaluate what the skill set is of the person you are delegating to. While you delegate, you always follow up, too. I was a safety engineer for 10 years. One of the things that I did in establishing safety programs a lot was when I was talking to company owners, I would tell them, ‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.’ So you need to be able to, when you delegate, No. 1, know if they have the ability or skill set to do it so you aren’t setting them up for failure. But then you have to be able to measure it so you can quantify it some way to find out if the job got done and what kind of quality or quantity, depending on what you are looking for.
What I usually do is I will give them a time frame. I don’t believe in micromanagement at all. I’m more of a macro type of manager, and I will give them the project and the task and then I will tell them when I expect it. We will negotiate a time. If they say I can’t do it, then we ask them why they can’t do it. If they feel like they can do it during that time, then we both have an understanding about the time frame in which we have to get it done. Of course, I may follow up somewhere along halfway through it and say, ‘How’s it going?’ ‘Well, we’re doing OK.’ And if they are comfortable with that, then I’ll usually let them run with it. If they have questions, they will come to me to ask me specifics about, ‘Is this what you really wanted?’ Delegation is to try to let them feel like they are having an effect and that they are feeling good about what they do, as well. There’s absolutely no way I can do it all.
Help employees. If we have issues, I will get involved in helping solve some of the details with the employees as well as handling the big decisions. You have to be involved. You cannot sit aloof in your position because they have to respect you. They have to have a respect for you and your skill set and that you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, as some of them may refer to it — to get down and work with solving some of the issues. We try to have a mentor for the managers, as well, if we have a new one. We’ve got various leadership training courses that some of the companies offer … and we’ve sent some folks to that at various times when it was appropriate to help get them on board for things they are going to face.
Set goals. I tell folks here that we first of all have to operate between the white lines. We have to establish systems and procedures so everyone knows what is expected. We also provide employee evaluations on a minimum of an annual basis and sometimes semiannual and we try to provide goals for them and establish career tracks to help them see what their future can be. Again, we’re kind of real big on training, and we negotiate with them the best we can to establish some kind of a time frame for them to establish their goals. I’ve always been real big on education and professional certifications, and I think the more that an employee learns and the more confident they become in what they are doing converts to self-esteem. To me, the self-esteem and how someone feels about themselves is directly beneficial not only to them but to the company.
How to reach: Dean & Draper Insurance Agency LP, (713) 527-0444 or www.deandraper.com