reverse delegation
After delegating the task of CCST training to a subordinate due to personal hectic schedules and a heavy workload, the employee reverse delegated the task back to me because of the time limit set by the software and the already busy work schedule the employee had.
I accepted the reverse delegation, rearranged my already busy schedule, and spent four hours online with the training modules because the TWC requirement is critical for our continued work.
Michael,
You made a critical leadership mistake by accepting back the task you had delegated to your subordinate and consequently suffered the consequences. The first step would be to determine why the task of CCST training had to be taken off your plate, did you not plan ahead or did your personal schedule just get out of hand and you couldn't complete the task? By accepting the task back, you sent the wrong message to your subordinate; if he or she doesn't want to do something all she/he has to do is complain about their busy work schedule and you will take something away. A more effective way to handle this type of situation would have been to call the person into your office and have them think through the solution to their dilemma and come up with alternatives to how to handle your delegation, e.g. prioritizing this against other work. The key here is to ensure the employee assumes responsibility and accountability for completing the task and not delegating it back to you.
Dr. Robert Roehrich
