Letting go of the hands on
I have been given the oportunity to become head of my department. The biggest trouble is not the running of the department but in trying to let go of the hands on jobs. I could and have delegated some responsibilities to others, but some can't handle what needs to be done, so in I jump. What's the best approach to getting these individuals to perform?
I know what you mean.... OK so first thing is define the team members possions. Let them all know what there roles are in those possions. In our case TTL's Run the program details, parts ordering , test writing, keeping all projects fuctioning at a high level.You know what if you want we can talk about this it would be better than trying to type all of it out. Let me know if you want to talk about this stuff. We used to have meetings that helped with this type of stuff but we don't anymore (mistake) but that ok we can talk if you want.....
Oh yea did I mention I got some V-rods for ya.....
I also have troble letting go of the hands on. I found when I do it slowly and am reenforced by work done correctly, it is much easier to let go. Sometimes I think if it has to be done correctly it hads to be done by me. Hiring and trainign staff has changed my attitude.
I think the key to that is thinking of your employees as extensions of yourself, and selecting them and training in way so that you feel confident in their work. It gets into a trust issue really, because their work directly represents you, even if it's not your physical work. Those employees want to do well, and want to be trusted so it's going to go further to let them develop do the work than constantly micro-manage their work, or try to do it for yourself.
