Delegate/Give Feedback

• If you’re a supervisor, schedule time with your juniors and ask, "What’s the most important thing we should talk about?"  Then listen.  Give juniors as much time as they need to discuss their work, challenges, and feelings.

•  Edwin Friedman, noted author, wrote, "In any situation, the person who can most accurately describe reality without laying blame will emerge as the leader, whether designated or not." Have a fierce conversation today. Accurately describe your reality at work without laying blame.

• Be sure that you are honest with yourself and your manager when estimating time to complete a project. Don’t underestimate your time expectations. You don’t want to develop the reputation of being chronically late in completing work assignments.

• If you are new to managing projects, here are a few questions to constantly keep in mind: Are deadlines being met? Is the project team communicating well? Is the team on track? Is the team’s progress measurable?

• When assembling a team to tackle a project, make sure you include people who bring to the table different work styles. Teams need people who can think “big ideas” as well as those who can provide lots of supporting data and detail.

• As you advance in your career, delegate away as many administrative tasks as you can. Opening your own mail may be fun, even a nice break, but it’s not the best use of your time.

• Make sure you delegate away some tasks in order to help more junior people grow. In the long run, delegation saves you time and simultaneously helps others develop professionally.

• When delegating work, always keep in mind that there is more than one way to accomplish virtually anything. Unless using a specific method is absolutely critical to success, stay focused on the results your delegee produces rather than the method they employed.

• In today’s busy work environment, if you don’t ask for what you want or need, you may not receive it. So, if you feel the need for feedback, a mentor or a raise, be prepared to stand up and ask for it. Take control of your own career.

• Whenever you need to delegate a task, make sure that you clearly explain to the delegee the end product that you seek. Too frequently, we fail to communicate our expectations as to end results and then feel disappointment at the efforts of others.