When we talk about the successful manager of the today we know that they communicate well, delegate and empower their people. We have read so much about this individual that we know what the "prototype" looks like, on paper, but I have found that we don't seem to recognize these folks when we run into them live.

I think two reasons are responsible for this.

First, we have known them before we read about them, so we are expecting the "ideal" manager to be someone new to us.

Second, we never give personalities and emotions to the managers described in articles. But the managers in real life have those!

Two client companies of ours have managers that are great examples of delegating/empowering manager. These are people who get many times more things accomplished than their peers. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why.

They delegate lots of work to their people and are open to new ideas and ways of doing things. They like to venture into to new areas and "push the envelope." These folks seem to always be busy with a variety of projects many of which are being completed everyday. Often their peers are "busy" but really getting little done.

Often we see that these delegating managers (DM's) have a strong interest in many aspects of their business and are open to a lot of new ideas.

The converse of these people seem to be so narrowly focused that they have no interest in new ideas or different ways of doing things.

The DM's have realized one of General Patton's principles of leadership, "tell people what you want done then get out of the way and let them do it." There are often many ways of achieving a goal.

The DM's are usually so busy doing things that they have no time for complaining about what is or is not happening and nagging his people.

I have found that DM's often have many very different activities happening at the same time. We expect this from the CEO because he is responsible for the overall success of the organization and as such has to be sure that all of the departments are working in some harmony.

Also, the DM's will often get involved with solving problems in areas that would seem outside his/her "jurisdiction." With the smaller more efficient structures in today's business everyone, to some degree, has a role in the success or failure of every department. So if one area is not pulling its weight, someone has to jump in and take charge.

However, this should be happening at any level within the organization and indeed is occurring more and more in the corporations. One reason is the hierarchy of the past no longer exists so managers are forced to delegate more. But some people do it very reluctantly.

Finite vs Infinite Power

The theory of finite versus infinite power has a lot to do with delegation and empowerment so it is very important to understand. If you believe that power is finite then you feel that if you give some of your power to someone else, that is, delegate, then you have less.

If you believe power is infinite, when you give some away, you have not lost any, and in most cases you have gained more. That is one of the biggest differences in delegating and non-delegating managers. A Delegating Manager realizes that by empowering others, he or she enhances their department and the entire organization. Managers who believe in the finite theory of power are dying, along with their organizations. Many of us know of companies in this situation right now.

This may relate to one of the most important words of this era - Change. Regardless of how you feel about it, Change is a fact of life for all of us. If you don't accept it, the lack of Change will be your downfall.

Change just means different, not bad.

For example, the automobile industry made a dramatic change in recent years from carburetors to fuel injected engines. It probably displaced a lot of people, but this change benefited us all.

A myriad of changes have occurred as a result of the advancement in computer chip technology from desk top publishing to computerized control of most of the functions of an automobile.

Some of the definitions of change are also, Innovation, Metamorphosis, Transformation, Correct, and Convert. These are positive terms.

The Delegating Manger Empowers their direct reports. Downsizing has made delegation mandatory to some degree in many situations. The DM's however, make this tool work to everyone's advantage. This is really not new, good managers have empowered for years.

In conclusion, the Delegating Manager of the present and future is one who communicates well, delegates, and empowers. We all know this from the books that are on the best seller lists. The key for all of us is to recognize these folks in our organizations, look past the irrelevant personality quirks that we tend to get hung up on and join the team. These are the people who will lead us in the future.

Manage Well and Often,

Bill Truax
Bill@BlitzCall.com
800-253-1214

Copyright 2006 WJ Truax