Trusting Employees and Removing Yourself from Decisions

A good manager knows that trusting your people and delegating responsibilities is a crucial management strategy. This holds true for large and small companies. Delegating responsibilities is a skill in and of itself, and many managers find it easier, at least in the short term, to just do the tasks themselves than explain them and monitor their completion. Giving your employees responsibilities and decision-making power is an important management strategy that promotes your development as a manager, your employees' growth, and your company's success.

Choosing the right people for key positions is an important and often overlooked first step in delegating authority. Managers frequently avoid delegating when they feel that the appropriate person is not capable of completing the task. Work with your human resources department to recruit talented workers who are ready to shoulder authority. Employees who are not yet ready for responsibility can be trained and developed; helping subpar employees improve is an important management strategy that helps build loyalty. Additionally, consider delegating some tasks to small groups rather than individuals who may be unable to handle the job alone. When managing employees, it is important to spend time getting to know them as individuals so that you can facilitate their growth while fulfilling company objectives.

The act of delegating is itself a valuable employee development tool. Assigning progressively more responsibility and giving thorough feedback to an employee who has high potential afterward are good management strategies. Some experts on management strategies advocate placing trust in employees to encourage honest behavior. In many environments, employees rise to the level of responsibility and authority they are given.

Of course, employee development is far from the only reason to give your subordinates decision-making authority. Whether you are the head of a small business or a midlevel manager in a large corporation, you have to use your own time effectively while you are managing employees. It can be tempting to try to do everything yourself, as many managers feel this is the best way to ensure tasks are completed correctly. However, it weakens organizational structure if you are the only person who can competently complete core business tasks. If you're doing everything yourself, you may be spending too much time on tasks that aren't part of your job description rather than reserving your energy for executive-level work. Training subordinates to complete tasks that can be delegated frees you to act in a managerial capacity and think creatively, making it a valuable management strategy.

Placing trust in your subordinates and allowing them to make decisions without your oversight is a core management strategy that will help you develop promising employees and fulfill your company's objectives.

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