Friday, April 11, 2008
Leadership Failure #3 - No Responsibility
In my last blog entry I mentioned the need to give a team member authority when you’ve delegated a task. Leadership Failure #3 is a by-product of the last one—Granting Authority Without Responsibility.
If you have granted a team member the authority to act, then they must also be held responsible for the decisions they make. If not, chaos results. Responsibility is another word for accountability. Will that team member take ownership of the results before, during, and after the task? Before the task, they are agreeing to reaching a positive end result. During the task, they are monitoring progress and communicating successes and asking for help, if needed. After the task, they are standing by the actual outcome - good, bad, or indifferent.
Here’s the thing—a leader who grants authority in certain areas must still retain overall responsibility for the teams’ actions. Whatever the leader thinks of a subordinates decision, the leader is ultimately responsible for both good and poor decisions.
My point - Delegation does not mean ‘hands off.’ As the leader, you need to maintain consistent and specific dialogue with the person to whom you’ve delegated the task. Check-in to see if they need help, will meet a deadline, or are struggling with an aspect of the project.
Team members who see you willing to hear even bad news will bring their issues to you sooner—before it negatively impacts a customer.
Until next time...live like you mean it!
Marjorie