Dr. Robert Roehrich

Todd, Thank you for your post. I agree the conversation should be private and that one should be straight forward and professional, but keep in mind you're dealing with someone's livelihood, so don't be cold and impersonal. Communicate that the transaction is confidential on both sides of the conversation; establish some leverage if confidentiality is violated. If the situation warrants, have Human Resources or another professional present as a witness to avoid any misunderstandings. Dismiss on a Monday or Wednesday if possible, I agree Fridays are not good unless the situation provides no alternative. It's better to do a dismissal… >>>

Alonzo, I agree that ensuring the outcomes and timeframes are clear to the individual or individuals who are receiving the delegation. However, I don't believe those are the most difficult part of delegation. The difficulty comes from ensuring that the clearly understand the scope, urgency and impact of the task/project and that they see where or how it fits into the broader scope of team, department, division, company, etc. It's also important for the delegatee to articulate back to the delegator that they understand about the assignment. It's also up to the delegator to be clear about the level of… >>>

Dear Maurice, I think you've over analyzed the question. The distinction between "dumping" and "delegating" is simply the level of control or authority an individual has over an assigned task. Yes, "dumping" is usually the conveyance of an unpleasant or uninteresting task to a subordinate who doesn't have the authority to control the process, which usually results on a negative outcome. Typically, dumping does not result in enhanced skill development, its just "grunt work" and is perceived as such by the employee who is "dumped on". Delegation on the other hand, can be a powerful process for a leader, if… >>>

Kerry, These are all good steps toward creating a culture of engagement. Honesty and openness are hallmarks of good employer-employee relations and frequent performance assessments go a long way, if they occur regularly, i.e. quarterly. Don't hold off until there is an annual review in the fourth quarter, remember there should be no surprises during performance reviews; that will reinforce your culture of openness and honesty. "Open door" management is a bit of a misnomer and it puts the responsibility for communications on the employee, "management by walking around", or MBWA, engages your employees on their "turf" and encourages dialogue… >>>