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Hey everyone, I know I’m just a “friend” of the WGA now, but I thought I’d pop in here and ask a question of the candidates…
How comfortable are you with delegation, or asking other people to perform tasks? Is this something you struggle with? Maybe you think that it is just easier to do something yourself than to take the time to seek someone out, ask the awkward question for help, then train them how to do something. I mean, let’s be honest, sometimes it is easier to just do things ourselves. However, this can lead to burn-out from the Board and a lack of involvement from members. So….it’s good to ask yourself: how good are you at delegating tasks to other people?
Not all who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien
Greetings,
Love the “Cat in the Hat” profile picture.
Delegating isn’t hard for me. That said, delgation is usually handled by the President or Vice President, and the Committee Chairs.
Doing things ourselves is always the easiest way but sharing the responsibilities or tasks is the best stress reliever. It’s also enjoyable working with others with the task at hand.
Howdy BeccaDay!
For me, delegation comes naturally. Part of this comes from my career in IT as we are involved in a lot of project related work. One of the more recent projects I was involved with had me specifically leading a subsection of the overall project, which involved all of the planning, and delegation to the rest of the team in order to drive the project across the finish line on-time (it went without a single bump). In addition to all of the project work, I am also a backup to my manager, so when he is out of the office, it’s up to me to ensure my teams workload is managed properly.
You’re absolutely correct — sometimes it is just easier to get things done yourself. However, I believe it is also good to hold others accountable for the tasks they are responsible for. In the past, if there’s been a team member that isn’t handling their tasks properly, I’ve reached out to the person and worked with them to see what we can do together to help resolve the problem.
If there is something I’m tasked with that I’m not sure how to handle, I’ve found it’s much easier to ask someone for help, rather than explain later why it was done incorrectly, and cause re-work for myself (or others). All of this combined can lead to a well oiled machine that keeps chugging along.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors
Hi BeccaDay,
I have been on enough committees to know that even if it might be easier to do tasks yourself, you get better buy-in from the team if you delegate and have others do parts of the task. I had a boss once that said, “if you aren’t replaceable, you aren’t promotable”, and I try to use that to remind me to not be the “only one” who can do something. Letting others step up and succeed is important to team building.
I am on the Relay For Life Leadership Team for my area, and in our last meeting, I boldly asked a middle-schooler if she would take on a task. After I asked, I thought to myself “when I was her age, I would have had no idea how to proceed!”. So, I explained why I thought she would be the best to fulfill the objective, promised to work with her, and in the end, she confidently agreed to do it. Win-Win! I think she’ll be a great future leader! And I’ve moved myself to a mentoring position.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
Hello!
For me, its natural and depends on the task. If I know the website is having problems, I am going to ask someone who knows what they are doing with it to look at it. If its something with the newsletter which I previously helped with, I am happy to take a look at it. It goes to play with everyone strengths as well as availability.
Hi Becca,
Honesty, I would rather do things myself. However, I have found that people will surprise me if I give them the opportunity to do things their way. It may not be the way I would have done it, and the results may be different than I expected, and occasionally I am let down. But for the good of my sanity and developing a healthy organization, delegation is key.
As others have said it usually is easier to do it yourself but even as a retiree I have lots of other interests… More importantly getting others involved should not only spread out the work but create commitment in the event or activity beyond the board.
Often after an event you will have a participant or two approach you about how it could have been done better or differently. I like to use that as an opening to recruit them to help with the next activity since they seem to have ideas on improvements.
Having been a supervisor and a manager, I know all too well the need for delegation. There is no way you can successfully do everything yourself. Sometimes that means teaming up with someone else to get a project done, and sometime that means finding the person or persons with the skills, knowledge and ability to get the work done. Asking for help is not a weakness, it is understanding what needs to be done and what resources, including people, are available to get it done. In an organization like this, you need to get the word out about what is needed and seeing who can help.
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The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board
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