Management 101 by Stephen Soundering

Author:Stephen Soundering
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2016-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Trust People

Give Them the Authority They Need

Some managers seem altogether too happy to delegate responsibility to team members but never give them the authority to do the job properly. In this context, authority is defined as the power to make independent decisions. Failure to delegate effectively probably stems from fear. However, it is extremely frustrating if a team member keeps running to you, the manager, every time a decision on even the most minor aspects of a delegated job is needed.

So how do you delegate the authority without relinquishing control or abdicating responsibility altogether? The answer is simple: allow the team member to make independent decisions within certain limitations. Setting limits will help avoid disasters.

For example, suppose you delegate the task of negotiating a price with an important customer. The team member will probably ask, “How far can I go?” to which you might reply: “We have quoted $90,000 for one module. Now they may find they need two and therefore want to negotiate. You can negotiate a discount of up to 10 percent—that gives a minimum price of $178,200 for two modules—or a lower discount and free maintenance worth $3,000, whichever you think most appropriate at the time. If they insist on a deal that would take us below the minimum price of $178,200, check with me before agreeing to anything.”

This allows the team member some leeway for decision-making but prevents him from making costly—and serious—mistakes.

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