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As a newly promoted manager, Bob listened intently to Mary, one of his direct reports. She had found a software package that could make their department more efficient. Bob took the information from Mary and he then dug into more research and analysis. He had mixed feelings about this task. On the one hand, his job is to help his team be successful, and if this software package can help, he should look into it. On the other hand, as a new manager, his plate was already full, and he resented the fact that Mary had dumped this additional work on him.
Bob is a victim of Upward Delegation. That’s the tendency of work to float upward to the highest level that will accept it. There are several downsides to Upward Delegation:
1. Team members don’t develop skills.
2. Managers spend their time on the wrong tasks. The lower level tasks push out the higher level tasks the managers should be doing.
3. Accepting an upward delegation rewards poor performers, who intentionally push work off to their managers, and it discourages good performers, who would prefer to do challenging new assignments themselves.
Let’s look at the causes of Upward Delegation and what managers can do to avoid or correct this problem.
Cause: You have not clarified roles and responsibilities. Who is responsible for performing which tasks, making which decisions, solving which problems? When this is unclear (and this often happens with a new manager), direct reports will bring more questions to their manager. If the manager takes this as a request for help, and if the manager “helps” by taking on the task himself or herself, then Upward Delegation has just occurred.
Solution: Clarify who’s responsible for what. As a general principle, responsibility for tasks, decisions, and problem-solving should be assigned to the lowest level possible.
Cause: Your direct reports lack the skills to handle the tasks. Or, as a new manager, you might not know what skills your people have. Or you might not have the ability yourself to pass on your know-how to the team. Or you might be pressed for time and think it’s easier to do it yourself than train them.
Solution: Take the time now to understand the skill levels of your direct reports and how their skill levels match their responsibilities. Whenever there is a lack of skill, start immediately to upgrade those skills to the necessary level. Don’t let skill deficiencies fester. If the task of improving skills falls to you personally, do that now. It may be time-consuming, but until you do it, you will be doing their jobs as well as your own. Investing the time now will reward you in time saved in the future.
Cause: You like being the hero. You have always been the expert in your field. People relied on you to get the job done and solve complex problems. That’s why you got promoted. And it continues. Your direct reports continue to bring the knotty problems to you. It’s a good thing you’re here to solve the problems they can’t!
Solution: Adjust your thinking about your role. You are no longer the hero who flies in and solves the big problems. You have a different role now. The job you used to do must now be done by others. Your role is to be sure they have the skills, tools, and support to do that job successfully. When you do the job for them, you are not doing your job as manager.
Cause: You fear that the task won’t be done “right.” This is closely related to the last two causes discussed above. You are a perfectionist and you don’t have confidence in the skills of your people to do the task competently or to make good decisions. So you have to do it yourself. You get to be the expert. This is a way of validating your own self-image, but at what cost?
Solution: A combination of the suggestions above. Adjust your thinking about your role. Adjust your expectations about whether a “right” answer exists and who is capable of coming up with it. Build the capability of your team and build your confidence in their capability.
What’s a manager to do, then, when a potential upward delegation situation occurs? Let’s rewind the scenario with Bob and Mary. When Mary first brings the idea to Bob, here’s what happens.
First, Bob clarifies why Mary is bringing this to Bob and what role she would like to play in moving the idea forward. Bob says, “Mary, this is interesting. Thanks for bringing it to me. It needs more research and analysis. I’d like you to do that. What do you need from me?” Or he might say, “It need more research and analysis. What role do you want to play in doing that?”
Mary might respond in any number of ways. On the one hand, she might be ready, willing, and able to move forward with the project independently, and all she needs is the green light from Bob and maybe some guidance on budget or similar issues. Or she might want to be heavily involved in the project but not have the skill to handle it independently; in that case, maybe she can partner with another team member or maybe she can work closely with Bob to both develop her skills and move the project forward. Or maybe she has neither the time nor interest nor skills to be involved. In the case, if Bob wants to pursue the project, he could assign someone else.
Once Bob knows Mary’s intentions, he can make a more informed decision about how to proceed. Of course, he has to consider many other factors as well, including other demands on the team’s time and resources. He always has the option of declining the project if the team has other priorities.
Putting yourself in Bob’s shoes, you also must reflect on your own needs and intentions. You may find this to be a very exciting project that you want to handle yourself. But, wait! Remember you’re now the manager! That’s no longer your job. Taking a moment to reflect on your own needs and intentions can help prevent you from making decisions based on habit and short-term goals rather than based on your long-term intentions and goals. As manager, your intention should be to build the success of your team and also build the success of your management career. Both goals will be best served by avoiding Upward Delegation.
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