 |
MHA
Service Corporation Professional Search Services, Stephen O’Connor,
Senior Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .March
2008 |
In
this issue:
Management
by Delegation
Delegate to Develop Employees
Staff Matters: Being
Critical Correctly is Critical
How to Make Delegating Easier
Delegating Work — The Most Crucial Skill
a Manager Needs to Learn
Is
Your Risk Management, Patient Safety or Quality Seat Empty?
Professional Search Services: Management Recruiting for the Health
Care Community
|
Management
by Delegation
|
| Do
these scenarios sound familiar? You’re walking to your office
and an employee stops you to give you a rundown of what’s
happening: “I made a phone call to Bill. He says that we
can’t get the project done until July 7, so I’m going
to work on the Smith account. The newsletter project will be
finished on June 17, and, by the way, the copy machine is broken.
Should
I call a repairman?”
As
you get to your office, another employee stops you to give a rundown
of his situation. This lasts another three minutes.
Frustrating?
You bet. And you wonder, why can’t these employees take more
responsibility and not drop every detail of every project in your
lap?
Maybe
it’s not them, but you. Maybe you are not delegating effectively.
Here are some key points to remember:
- Stress
results, not details. Make it clear to your
employees that you’re more concerned about the final
outcome of all projects, rather than the day-to-day details
that accompany them.
- Don’t
be sucked in by giving solutions to employees’ problems. When
employees come to you with problems, they’re probably
looking for you to solve them. Don’t. Teach them how
to solve problems themselves. This, too, can be frustrating
because it takes time. But in the long run, you’ll
save yourself time and money.
- Turn
the questions around. If an employee comes
to you with a problem, ask him or her for possible solutions.
If an employee comes to you with a question, ask for possible
answers.
- Establish
measurable and concrete objectives. With
all employees, make your objectives clear and specific. Once
this is done, employees will feel more comfortable acting
on their own. Think of this plan as a road map — and
your employees will too.
- Develop
reporting systems. Get your feedback from
reporting systems: monthly reports, statistical data, or
samplings. Or consider weekly meetings with employees.
- Give
strict and realistic deadlines. If you don’t
give clear deadlines, employees won’t feel accountable
for the completion of their tasks.
- Keep
a delegation log. When you delegate an assignment,
jot it down. You’ll be able to monitor the progress,
and discipline employees when necessary.
- Recognize
the talents and personalities of your employees. Being
a good delegator is like being a good coach of a baseball
team. You have to know what projects each employee can handle,
and what projects they can’t.
Adapted
from Methodist Leadership
Back
to Top |
Delegate
to Develop Employees |
When
you look at the stack on your desk, do you sigh over your workload?
Instead try smiling at the opportunities for worker development.
Before tackling a job yourself, take a second to think about those
on your staff who might benefit from the assignment. Talk to workers
to gauge whether they’d consider the additional assignment
challenging or intimidating, a new opportunity or an unwelcome
addition to their overloaded schedules. Then, if it feels right,
delegate the work, providing clear directions and making yourself
available to help if employees get stuck. And be sure to share
the wealth by delegating special assignments to as many workers
as possible rather than only one or two trusted employees.
Adapted
from “How to Delegate Effectively,” by Jennifer
E. Fairweather, on the CareerJournal Web
site
Back
to Top |
Staff
Matters: Being
Critical Correctly is Critical
|
by
Stephen O'Connor
Most
experienced managers understand that employee retention and the
higher productivity
that comes with high morale depend upon how
people are treated much more than how they are paid.
Your employees
are more likely to run away from a poor working environment
than
to run toward more money somewhere else.
A
positive working environment where employees feel appreciated and
are allowed to grow is a difficult thing to create and maintain.
There are those times when a manager needs to train and direct
an employee through criticism. How that is handled has everything
to do with the morale of the department.
In
a good-faith attempt to redirect your employees’ behavior,
there are certain things you never want to say. Things like, “Bob,
I like you. You remind me of me when I was young and stupid.” Obviously, you
don’t want to use sarcasm in providing constructive feedback
to your staff. Expressions like, “Thank you, Mary. We are
all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view,” or “How
about never, Jim.
Is never good for you?” are seldom constructive. In addition, overtly
hurtful comments are totally unacceptable. Comments such as, “I don’t
know what your problem is but I’ll bet it’s hard to pronounce,” and “I’ll
try to be nicer if you’ll try to be smarter” simply don’t
further the cause of employee morale.
Luckily,
there are helpful guidelines for the managerially-impaired supervisor
who is trying to provide constructive criticism. Highlights
Magazine from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan published
12 guidelines to remember the next time that you have to criticize
someone:
- Direct
your criticism at the action, not the person.
- Make
the criticism specific. Not “You always miss deadlines,” but, “You
missed the March 15 deadline for your report.”
- Be
sure that the behavior you are criticizing can be changed. Foreign
accents, baldness
and other
things cannot always be changed.
- Use “I” and “We” to
stress that you want to work out the problem together, rather than
making threats.
- Make
sure the other person understands the reasons for your criticism.
- Don’t
belabor the point. Short and sweet; no lectures.
- Offer
incentives for changed behavior. Offer to help the person correct
the problem.
- Don’t
set a tone of anger or sarcasm. Both are counter-productive.
- Show
the person you understand his or her feelings.
- If
you’re
putting your criticism in writing, cool off before writing
the letter or memo. Be sure only the person it is intended
for sees it.
- Start
off by saying something good.
- At
the end, reaffirm your support and confidence in the person.
Using
these methods is a good business practice because it can help you
avoid approaching that line of creating a hostile work environment.
So, the next time you hear one of your managers remark to an employee, “I’m
not being rude; you’re just insignificant,” it’s
time for some constructive intervention.
This
article originally appeared in Michigan
Health & Hospitals magazine and is being used with
permission.
Back
to Top
|
How
to Make Delegating Easier |
To
do or to delegate? If that is the question, maybe you need a few
pointers on how to hand off to others-without all the angst. Try
these:
- Make
lists. Write down everything you do and how
long each task takes. If you’re like most managers, your
tasks exceed your time. And that means you’re probably
letting some important things fall through the cracks. Decide
which tasks require your personal touch; anything else is fair
game for someone else. And remember: It’s better to have
someone else do it than no one at all.
- Be
complete. When delegating, hand over whole
jobs rather than piecemeal tasks. Workers will be more likely
to take ownership of a job if they feel they’re running
a project rather than acting as a gopher.
- Start
small. If you have trouble believing others
can do things as well as you can, begin by delegating small
jobs where mistakes won’t be fatal. As employees master
these assignments they’ll develop confidence in their
ability to act in your stead — and so will you.
Adapted
from “Welcoming Delegation: Even with Staffing Tight, These
Owners Learn the Art of Letting Go,” by Ellyn Spragins,
on the Fortune Small Business Web site Back
to Top |
Delegating
Work — The Most Crucial Skill a Manager Needs to Learn |
Delegating
work properly does a lot more than make your life as a manager
easier. It builds teamwork, increases efficiency, develops careers,
raises morale, and boosts productivity. But it’s not always
easy to do. Here are some simple strategies to get you started:
- Delegate responsibility,
not work. Too many managers confuse delegating
responsibility with dumping work on someone. Employees know
the difference. Don’t assign a project and insist that
the employee do it your way — with no room for personal
initiative.
- Let
employees take turns running staff meetings. This
does three things: First, it shows them that you respect and
trust their abilities; second, it builds their confidence and
leadership skills; and finally, it gives you a chance to see
how someone handles a group — in case you ever consider
promoting that person to a managerial position.
- When
delegating, don’t ask an employee, “Do you understand?” A
lot of employees will answer yes regardless, for fear of looking
stupid. Instead, ask questions such as, “Any ideas off
the top of your head as to how you’ll proceed?” You’ll
get a better sense of whether or not you were clear in your
directions.
- Keep
a “delegation diary.” Once
you realize how effective and uplifting proper delegation
can be,
you’ll want to do it more often. Be careful.
And be organized. Keep a written record of which
projects you’ve delegated to which employee.
- Establish
routine checkups. At the beginning of the delegation
process, establish meetings in advance when you and the employee
can sit down and make sure everything is on track. Important:
Don’t check up every day. You want employees to feel
as if you trust them to get the job done on their own.
Source: Leading
for Results, February 2006 Back
to Top |
Is
Your Risk Management, Patient Safety or Quality Seat Empty? |
 |
The
Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute and MHA Service
Corporation’s
Professional Search Services have teamed up together to provide
you the
support you
need to
fill your risk management, patient safety or quality management
vacancies. We offer temporary staffing; search services for a long-term,
permanent replacement; and mentoring and coaching once you
find the right person. |
|
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Back
to Top |
Professional
Search Services: Management Recruiting for the Health Care Community |
Steve
O'Connor, SPHR,
Senior Director
|
Professional
Search Services
- Large national
candidate pool
- Internet recruiting
at www.mhaservicecorp.com
- Background checking
service
- Low contingency
fee
When you need
a healthcare management recruiter, call Steve O’Connor at
the Michigan Health and Hospital Association in Lansing, MI at (517)
663-5755. He’s the search consultant who produces this
monthly newsletter and has hundreds of management candidates
currently
registered with
his service.
Most
are open to
relocation. You are also invited to browse his web site for more
information on Professional Search Services at www.mhaservicecorp.com.
Available
positions may include:
CEO/CFO/COO/VP • Facilities
Management • Finance •
Food Service • Fund Development • Health Information
Management • Home
Health Care • Human Resources • Information Systems •
Managed Care • Management Engineering •
Marketing/Public Relations • Materials Management • Nursing
Administration • Physician
Practice Administrators •
Planning• Rehabilitation
Management • Social Work • Training
and Development • Utilization
Review
For more information
contact:
Stephen
O’Connor, SPHR, Senior Director
MHA Service Corporation
Professional Search Service
Corporate Office:
6215 West St. Joseph Hwy.
Lansing, MI 48917
(517) 663-5755
E-mail Address: soconnor@mha.org
Back
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|
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Professional
Search Services
|
Management
Recruiting for the Health Care Community |
Stephen
O’Connor, SPHR, Senior Director
6215 West St. Joseph Hwy. • Lansing, MI 48917
(517) 663-5755
E-mail: soconnor@mha.org
Full Service Background Screening
and Applicant Tracking
Sales Department
3009 Douglas Blvd., 3rd Floor
Roseville, CA 95661
(800) 943-2589
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