Building a Relationship

Frankness, openness, and effective communication are essential to successful delegation, helping to build and sustain trust and overcome many personal barriers. You can reinforce trust and nurture mutual esteem through careful management.

Communicating well

When managers keep knowledge to themselves, communicate sporadically and incompletely, or even make no attempt to tell the truth at all, mistrust and other negative feelings in their staff will build rapidly. But misunderstandings and unjustified suspicions can result even when people believe they are discussing matters openly and honestly. Some managers hear only what they want to hear, and employees may be afraid to contradict them. To be a good communicator, you must express your ideas clearly and develop your listening skills. This will encourage others to share their thoughts and opinions with you.

Comparing perceptions

When assessing whether you are a helpful and accomplished delegator, you must always bear in mind the delegate’s point of view. You may uncover a surprising gulf in the way a situation is perceived. Make it clear from the start that you want and expect honest opinions about your delegating style. If the feedback you receive indicates that you are thought of as interfering and distrustful, act immediately to correct the situation. The more delegates realize that they have real responsibility and will not be second-guessed, the better they will do.

Respecting opinions

Treat everyone with the same respect that you expect yourself, because your staff are allies in the job of management. When you delegate, you show respect by entrusting part of your work to another because you believe in their capability and their suitability. To build mutual respect, ask your delegates for their opinions on how the work should be done, and show you are listening to their suggestions.

Do’s and don’ts

• Do use all means to communicate with your staff.

• Do strive to regard your associates as competent people.

• Do remind delegates that you respect and appreciate them.

• Do show your delegates loyalty and support.

• Do allow delegates the opportunity to give their opinions.

• Don’t be dismayed by differing perceptions – they are natural.

• Don’t forget that trust is a two-way process that can take time and effort to establish.

• Don’t ask people to do things that you wouldn’t do yourself.

• Don’t use delegates as scapegoats when things go wrong.

• Don’t dissuade staff from speaking out.

Looking at transactional analysis

Understanding how people behave with each other helps build successful delegating relationships. Transactional Analysis is a systematic approach to interpersonal behaviour that defines three “ego” systems:

• PARENT: Directive, rigid, controlling, supportive.

• ADULT: Rational, objective, fact orientated.

• CHILD: Self-centred, dependent, stubborn.

By observation it is possible to recognize which system is dominant in an individual. For example, people may dominate others by using their PARENT mode to provoke the other’s CHILD. Or the CHILD may take a “poor me” stance to control others. Productive delegation depends on mutual trust and respect, and Transactional Analysis suggests that this is best achieved if the ADULT system is most active.

Using the right attitude

The interpersonal process of delegation is greatly enhanced if relationships are conducted in an honest and open ADULT to ADULT way.