151 Quick Ideas for Delegating and Decision Making

Robert E. Dittmer

• Publisher: Career Press
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9781564149619
• eBook ISBN: 9781601639196
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Management
• Index: Business

Research and experience demonstrate two areas with which many new managers are completely unfamiliar: delegating tasks and work, and making decisions. Some struggle with this for years. But it doesn't have to be hard. 151 Quick Ideas for Delegating and Decision Making combines 50 years' experience of two managers, and the experiences of other managers who have been interviewed and observed. Each real world idea has been tried and tested. The best ones are here, in an easy to understand form for you to use. Select those that fit your particular circumstance, for example:

• — Start with the End in Mind
• — Know which decisions to make when
• — Avoid group think
• — Show them, don't tell them
• — Put confidence in competence
• — Give credit and reward success

And even if you are already in a supervisory position, this book can help you do a more effective and efficient job at managing people and tasks.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• How to Use This Book
• Introduction
• 1. What Is a Decision?
• 2. Decisions as Remedies
• 3. Decisions as Avenues to Progress
• 4. Making the Decision: Is It Yours to Make?
• 5. A Key Question: Why Are You Making This Decision?
• 6. Decisions to Save Face
• 7. Decisions to Gain Prestige
• 8. Decisions to Fit In
• 9. Decisions to Get Promoted
• 10. Is It Soley Your Decision to Make?
• 11. Do You Need to Share the Decision With Someone Else?
• 12. Consulting the Key Players27
• 13. Do You Need a Consensus?
• 14. Is Consensus Decision Making Right for Your Situation?
• 15. When Consensus Is the Answer
• 16. When It’s Not
• 17. Know Your Decision-Making Style
• 18. Simple Decisions
• 19. What’s the Problem?
• 20. Covey Has It Right: Start With the End in Mind
• 21. Research Starts With the Ears
• 22. How to Listen Effectively
• 23. Techniques for Asking Questions
• 24. Think—Don’t React
• 25. Think Options!
• 26. Prioritize—Know What Decisions to Make When
• 27. Seek Input From Others—Even When It’s Soley Your Decision
• 28. Decisions to Save Face
• 29. Consult With Mentors, Veterans in Your Field, Company Experts, and Colleagues
• 30. Value Others’ Insight
• 31. Have a Brainstorm
• 32. Weighing Pros and Cons
• 33. There are No Mistakes, Only Lessons
• 34. Risk Is Good—Embrace It!
• 35. Leverage Risk for a Calculated Outcome
• 36. Avoid Making Decisions From Ego
• 37. Avoid Making Decisions Political
• 38. Avoid the Proverbial Knee-Jerk Reaction
• 39. Avoid Group Think
• 40. Group Think Is Manipulation—It’s Not Consensus
• 41. Remember the Organizational “Layers” Involved
• 42. Whoa! You’re Challenging the Status Quo?
• 43. When Culture Stands in the Way
• 44. Ambiguity—Applying the Law of Co-orientation
• 45. Look for the Win-Win Result
• 46. Decisions That Require a Strategy
• 47. The Law of Diminishing Returns
• 48. Banishing the “What Ifs”
• 49. Keep an Open Mind
• 50. Let Go of Assumptions
• 51. Let Go of Fear
• 52. See the Possibilities
• 53. Don’t Be Afraid of Conflict
• 54. Change Is a Natural Catalyst for Conflict
• 55. Change Is the Fuel of Progress
• 56. Don’t Take It Personally
• 57. Don’t Make It Personal
• 58. Handling Those Who Disagree
• 59. Base Your Decision on the Merits of the Proposal or Solution
• 60. Resist the Urge to Go With the First Option on the Table
• 61. Resist the Urge to Go With Very Limited Facts
• 62. Resist the Urge to Dismiss Problems That Require Dynamic Levels of Decisions
• 63. Do What’s Right!
• 64. Walking With Integrity
• 65. No Decision Is a Decision
• 66. Don’t Be a Buridan’s Ass
• 67. Take a Step Backward to Review
• 68. Sometimes You Need to Use Brakes
• 69. Comparing Outcomes With Goals and Objectives
• 70. Overcoming Mental Decision Blocks
• 71. Go Have Fun!
• 72. Sweat It Out!
• 73. Go Mindless!
• 74. Give It a Rest!
• 75. Try Some Theory
• 76. Who’s That Cheerleader in the Cute Outfit?
• 77. You Can Be a Cheerleader
• 78. Being Supportive of Other Decision Makers
• 79. Learn From Others’ Experiences
• 80. Respecting Differences of Opinion
• 81. Handling Other Decision Makers
• 82. Handling Those Affected by the Decision
• 83. Handling Your Own Staff
• 84. Be “Ask Assertive,” Not “Tell Assertive”
• 85. Show Them, Don’t Tell Them
• 86. When You Don’t Have the Final Decision
• 87. Power Versus Influence
• 88. Practicing Reason Over Rank for Better Decisions
• 89. Win-Win Is an Easy Sell
• 90. Evaluating Decisions
• 91. Evaluation Also Means Looking at People
• 92. Good Decisions Today Are Tomorrow’s Successes Replayed
• 93. Moving On—From Success and Failure
• 94. Defining Delegation
• 95. Delegation Versus Decision-Making
• 96. What Delegation Is Not
• 97. Organizational Culture—Are You Set Up to Succeed?
• 98. A Closer Look at Delegation
• 99. Delegating Sideways and Upward
• 100. Why Delegate?
• 101. But I’ll Be Giving up Power!
• 102. Get More Time to Get More Done
• 103. Make Quick, Quality Decisions
• 104. Employees Unite!
• 105. Encourage Employee Commitment
• 106. Teach a Man to Fish
• 107. Know Your Management Style
• 108. Develop Your Coaching Skills
• 109. They Like Me! They Really Like Me!
• 110. Popularity Is a Plus
• 111. Delegate to Improve Relationships
• 112. Authority Versus Responsibility
• 113. Show Them the Vision and the Rewards
• 114. Have a Game Plan
• 115. The “Who” and “What” of Delegation
• 116. Assessing the Team
• 117. Selling the Work
• 118. Make Your Optimism Obvious
• 119. Set Expectations
• 120. Set a Time Line
• 121. Follow Up
• 122. Confidence in Competence
• 123. Fight the Fear of Mistrust
• 124. The Big Decisions
• 125. Fight the Fear of Delegating the Bigger Decisions
• 126. Outline Specifically What You Want Done
• 127. Spread the Word
• 128. Don’t Jump at the First Sign of Trouble
• 129. Continue to Move Forward Even When Problems Arise
• 130. Have Employees Help Resolve Problems
• 131. Perfection Not Necessary
• 132. Organizational Rewards of Delegating
• 133. Your Rewards for Delegating
• 134. You Get Relieved of Workload
• 135. Greater Team Involvement
• 136. Better Results
• 137. Increased Team Loyalty
• 138. Enhanced Capabilities
• 139. Enhanced Self-Esteem
• 140. Enhanced Sense of Accomplishment
• 141. The Importance of Trust
• 142. Provide Training
• 143. Training for Trouble
• 144. Celebrate Success
• 145. Reward Success
• 146. Be Encouraging
• 147. Be More Than a Good Listener
• 148. Be a Mentor
• 149. Be a Resource
• 150. Don’t Delegate and Forget!
• 151. Make Delegation a Standard Operating Procedure
• Index
• About the Authors