Delegation will either make you or break you as a manager. The text states, “failure to master delegation is probably the single most frequently encountered reason managers fail (Ghillyer,2009).” Experienced managers know how and when to delegate tasks. Inexperienced managers often get so caught up in the frenzy of the moment, they forget to delegate. Furthermore, most employees do not seek out responsibility. This past year I was glued to my television when the latest season of Celebrity Apprentice aired. In the show, celebrities made up of two teams pick amongst themselves each week a different project manager for various tasks. While the managers are different each week, they all seem to have the same flaw. During the celebrity interviews, every week they complained about the project manager’s lack of delegation. The lack of delegation could have been for any number of reasons, such as, “fear that subordinates will fail in doing the task, preconceived ideas about employees, or fear that subordinates will ‘look good (Ghillyer, 2009),’”

When it comes delegating tasks, both the manager and the employee have an obligation to one another. A manager must remember to delegate, if they are to survive. The employee has an obligation to step up and volunteer themselves for a task. This action alone will speak volumes of the employee, that he/she is not one to shy away from responsibility. At the end of the day, both manager and employee are on the same team. As members of the same team what is good for one is good for the other.

If no delegation is given, should employees seek the responsibility?

When is the manager delegating too much? Should the employee speak up?

Reference: Ghillyer, A. (2009). Management: Management Theory and Practice