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Have you ever thought “How can I get staff to play an active role in the decisions that impact them? Have you ever thought how I can engage them in the mission of the center? This is an article to help move you beyond this thinking. It will help you towards delegating so that you can free yourself up to accomplish tasks that only you can do. So, delegate and celebrate.
Open, honest communication is vital to developing relationships with staff. Once you establish a trusting relationship with your staff they respect you and are much more open to growth and development. Providing education for your staff creates a more skilled educator in the classroom. Not only do you need to educate your staff on developmental appropriate practices, techniques to use in the classroom but also engage them in the mission and vision of the center. It isn’t “my” center it is our center and the staff and employees need to be valued and play an active role in the decisions that affect them.
One of the common mistakes I see directors making is trying to do it all themselves. Dora Fowler, (a leading educator of Directors) used to say directors have the “mother earth” syndrome. Not only do I hear of directors directing but they are also in the classroom teaching. When I hear that, I think, it’s time to delegate. It’s a team let’s call on the team to help develop a strong collaborative center.
Delegation is the key to running any organization. First you need to identify the gifts that each person brings with them to the business. (Yes, Child Care is a business)
¨ Identify people’s strengths and interest
¨ Offer staff new challenges
¨ Increase compensation with added responsibilities
¨ Discover each person’s individual strengths and help develop these
¨ Train staff and encourage them to accept additional responsibilities
¨ Delegate any job that someone else can do or can do better than you can.
I think that the last point is the most important point to remember. This requires, you the director, to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses as well.
¨ Recognize that you cannot be all things to all people
¨ Cultivate that talented people around you
¨ Guide staff in new areas, building their confidence and developing their skills
¨ Recruit people who have talents in areas that complement your skill set
¨ Reward them for their willingness to learn and grow personally and professionally.
My cook had a math phobia and she thought she couldn’t do all that was required to maintain the kitchen. I knew she could and I had faith and a commitment to work with her until she believed in herself.
With help, my cook (actually I believe she is a chef), was able to manage the ordering, planning, and reporting required in her position. The true test came when I was leaving for my honeymoon for two weeks, during which time she would have to file the paperwork with the government. She was apprehensive, but submitted the appropriate paper work required in an accurate and timely manner. From that day on she completed all the work related to the kitchen and was excellent at record keeping.
Here are some tips from “Lifesavers – Tips for Success and Sanity for Early Childhood Managers. They address some of the roadblocks to delegation and possible solutions to these barriers.
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1. If the other person doesn’t do it right, I’ll look bad.
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1. Delegate to those who you know have the ability to complete the task. |
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2. The task could be done by someone else, but it would take longer to delegate than to do the job myself.
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2. Have someone start to learn the process. They will soon be able to do the task on a regular basis. |
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3. I can delegate only meaningless busy work. |
3. This technique creates resentments. Give the staff some of the tasks you like to do, but could give up. |
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4. The staff resists the work, saying that they don’t know how to do it. |
4. Break down the job and let staff handle as many components as they can. Add more when they are ready. Provide training. |
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5. If the staff can do a lot of the extra jobs, then maybe I won’t be needed. |
5. Supervisors are always needed to deal with the fine-tuning of the program. Keep doing tasks that require your specialized abilities. |
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6. When I delegate a task, staff keeps coming back for advice and help. |
6. Whenever staff asks how you would do the task, turn the question around, and ask them how they would do it. Reinforce correct answers without becoming angry. Help them build confidence. |
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7. Staff might not meet the deadlines. |
7. Clearly state the deadline and let the staff know why it must be met. Identify reasons for missing deadlines and take corrective action. |
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8. Staff might not do things the way I do them.
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8. Focus on getting the right results and learn to live with the differences. Their way of doing something might even be better than your way. |
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9. Their performance might jeopardize a successful outcome. |
9. Identify they might not be successful and take corrective action. You might have to change the level of authority and provide more support. |
Have you ever listened to people complain about too much to do and too little time? Trying to help, you offer them advice about how to give some of their work to other people. They reply “oh! I can’t. Others can’t do it as well as I can.” Delegating is a skill that enables you to let go of tasks others could do so you will have time to do what takes your expertise. Often, I ask staff how they feel when they have a task delegated to them. They reply, “I feel that the manager trusts me to take care of an important issue with a parent,” or “It makes me feel good to know that I am asked to help out with something that needs my special skills.”
We assume that others will think that our requests are an extra burden, but we don’t check it out with them first.
Delegation should not only benefit the asker, but also the doer. The person asking for help gets the needed assistance. The person helping out learns new skills, gets professional recognition, and becomes more valuable to the program.
v When I do everything myself, I feel very much in control I also feel angry, overwhelmed, and exhausted; but I do feel in control. Ask yourself what the control is costing you. Do you share some of my feelings?
v When I was a director, we had to have groceries for our program. I assumed the role of Chief Grocery Shopper. I thought I could get the best deals for the money and do the job faster than anyone else in the program. Then came the long winter months. I delegated the grocery shopping to a parent who was willing to do the job for a reduction in tuition. She benefited from taking on this responsibility, and I save wear and tear on both my car and my body. And guess what? The grocery bill went down.
v Although we believe we can do everything faster and better than anyone else in the program, delegating can save money. Ask yourself if it’s costing more money to have the director or supervisor do tasks, like grocery shopping, than it would cost to delegate the chore to someone else. Others can do these jobs, allowing you more time for tasks only you can do.”
Some additional “Principles of Delegation” are:
1. Match the delegated duty with the person’s ability to accomplish it.
2. Provide all relevant background information necessary to complete routine and delegated duties
3. Set goals, standards, and deadlines in advance.
4. Give support.
5. Allow autonomy and authority over the delegated situation.
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