Sisyphus - a tale of madness

"As a punishment from the gods for his trickery, Sisyphus was made to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, but before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again. The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus. As a result when Sisyphus was condemned to his punishment, Zeus displayed his own cleverness by binding Sisyphus to an eternity of frustration with the boulder rolling away from Sisyphus when he neared the top of the hill."

(Source: Wikipedia)

What tasks do you do that you can never complete?  How close can you get to finishing a project before you lose control of it and it rolls back on you?  When is it time to call it a new day and find a new task to do?

The definition of madness - doing the same thing, over and over and over again....

Here's the challenge -

1. Identify area's tasks and projects that never end and never finish in your working life.
2. Ask for help from others to get that boulder over the hill.
3. Or walk away and let someone else start rolling the boulder instead...

Delegating The Right Way

When you ask a person to carry out a job or you delegate a task to them use the following check points to esnure they get it right -

1. Assume nothing.  Don't presume that the person whom you have delegated to has understood you or is going to do the job right the first time.
2. Check up.  See whats happening.  Never let go of a task completely to the point where you forget about it or forget who you gave it to.
3. Don't micro-manage.  Give the person some time to figure out the task.  If they can't do it then step in.  Looking over someone elses shoulder while they do something can be a waste of both their time and your time as well - unless you treat the task as an opportunity to coach or teach.
4. Evaluate and get feedback.  Ask the person 'How well did I go in explaining what I wanted from you?'.  Let them be honest and take the time to learn from any mistakes you may have made to allow you to do better in the future.

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." --General George Smith Patton, Jr.

Lessons University Never Taught Me - No. 2

Delegation works for some people and not others. Learning how to let go and let others take over can be a tough ask.

I have found the problem wasn't the letting go - it was the follow through and ensuring the job was done properly. Different staff members complete tasks in a variety of ways. The progress some staff make on a task is very visible and easy to see. Other staff members complete the tasks just as well but not as visibly.

So who does a better job? Generally the results are pretty much the same.

What needs to change is the managers approach to how the task is being done. The manager needs to create a communication strategy/channel with the person the task has been delegated to.

What channels work? Try these examples -

• Verbal feedback and updates. Just ask. Ideally you would go and see the person but a telephone call can suffice as well.


• Tracking. Outlook Express and other computer programs have task tabs and job lists for tracking projects. These work better where distance exists or where a project is so large it needs a lot of people working on it.


• Visual aids. I posted on using Lego as a visual aid for time tracking in August 2009. A similar thing could be done for delegated tasks.


• Project posters (example - robot). Each team member is assigned a task and as more and more of the task is completed - the staff member adds more bits to the picture. This will give a visual presentation and a way for the team members to keep each other on track.
  

Delegation requires trust and communication to work properly.