When we delegate tasks to our teammate, we should also be delegating the autonomy and ownership of that task to them. If we don’t, maybe because we have worries about how they might complete it, you undermine the value of their work and send messages of mistrust.
First of all, think of the benefits of allowing our team member to take on more responsibility… They will take greater pride in the work and its success…They will work smarter and more productively…They will use more of their creativity…And they will learn more ideas for the future
How do wecreate ownership and allow them to flourish in their new-found responsibility?
Here are some ideas…
Show them the Big Picture: This lets people feel confident and create the best results. If we do this, they will know how this project or task relates to the bigger goals. Make sure they know how their success will impact others or the organisation, and your customers.
Take a step back. Difficult, I know, but essential. If we want people to have ownership, we have to give it to them. If we want others to own a project or task, ywe have to turn it over to them, and let them do it. Also, when we have mentally let go of the project or task, it’s easier to concentrate on the things we need to do.
Support. Once we have delegated, we then support. Be there to guide but not direct. Be a facilitator to. If it is their responsibility, they need to own it – if you rescue them by taking it back, we destroy their confidence and show them through your actions (however well intentioned) that they never owned it to start with.
Don’t tell them the answers: When we have handed off the project, people will have questions. We will want to answer their questions, but resist. Ask them how they will solve their challenge, rather than solving it for them. Listen carefully (an important part of your support) and help when needed, but talk less and listen more.
Talk about the ‘what’ rather than the ‘how’: By telling them how the job should be done, you chip away at their creativity. Besides, we want them to own the journey as well as the end destination. So if we have an idea of how it should be done, let our teammate find or discover it, rather than show them.
Remember; what we are trying to create are partners in the problem-solving journey. By allowing them to own the task, we get more commitment.
This is very different from them simply doing a task because you didn’t want to do it. Think of delegating tasks that will develop their skills and thinking abilities. That way, the pride in commitment grows and the instilling of ownership flourishes.
Courtesy- MTD Tips
