Hardest delegating lesson to learn: Trust but verify.

Re:Hardest delegating lesson to learn: Trust but verify. by RiderOfGiraffes on Tuesday November 24, 2009 @12:46PM (#959607)

It's a really bad way to say something that's obviously true. It's a bad way to say it because it sounds and feels paradoxical, so it often gets dismissed by people who know how to think, and think they know what it means.

It really comes down to one of the fundamental components of management - communication - which isn't one way.

Communication requires saying things, then confirming that the message arrived without distortion. Further, when this communication is delegation, part of the message should be that you get a message back when it's done. Not least, the delegation should contain a clear statement (verified by having repeated back to you) of what it means for the task to be completed successfully.

Let them do the work, then get confirmation that it's been done. Trust that their statement that it's done is truthful.

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Re:Hardest delegating lesson to learn: Trust but verify. by Periodic on Tuesday November 24, 2009 @02:04PM (#959761)

I think his message is not so much to trust that their statement about progress is truthful, but rather to trust that others can do a good job and get it done well.

I'm sure many of us have had that feeling of, "I know I can do this better, I should just do it." The point of this is to trust them and instead say, "I know I can do this better, but I need to delegate, so I trust that this other person can do a good job." That's the first part of delegation. The second part is to verify that the work did get done to a high standard, and make it clear what else needs to get done.

You need to be able to trust employees to get the job done, and you need to verify that it did get done in case it did not.

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