Google spent a decade researching what makes the 'perfect' manager and realized the best ones delegate their tasks a striking way
- Google has found that not only do managers matter, but they can have a big impact on how their teams perform.
- Project Oxygen, a research initiative by Google, has set out to discover what makes an effective manager.
- They found that effective managers empower their teams, and don't micromanage. One of the best ways to do that is to delegate.
- Here's how Google breaks down the process of delegating, such as establishing checkpoints, results, deadlines, and clear ways to monitor progress.
The best Google managers empower their teams and do not micromanage.
This idea came in at No. 2 on Google's top 10 list of effective manager traits. If you haven't heard the story, Google in an effort to prove that bosses weren't necessary, ended up finding the exact opposite — managers not only matter, but they can significantly influence the performance of their teams. But they didn't stop there. After realizing that managers were important, they embarked on a quest to uncover all the behaviors that made some more effective than others. The initiative became known as Project Oxygen.
Although the other nine behaviors are important, I would argue that empowering teams (without micromanaging) is the most crucial. Without a sense of ownership and connection to their work, it won't matter if employees have the right skills, access to coaching, or collaboration opportunities. They need the motivation to perform before these other aspects will come into play.
One of the easiest ways for a manager to empower and motivate employees is to provide opportunity and autonomy by delegating work.
There are limits, of course. As a manager, you're certainly not going to offload projects detrimental to the success of the company without oversight. But I'd venture to guess you have a number of other tasks you're holding onto that would be great candidates for delegation. It's easy to get wrapped up with work that's safe and familiar and to hoard tasks simply because we have always owned them.
To help its managers determine the work they should delegate, Google asks leaders to:
- Look at the goals. What is the end-game, and what does the team need to do to achieve its goals? Break down the work and identify parts that can be delegated.
- Look at yourself. In which areas do you have strengths and responsibilities, and what should you delegate?
- Recognize the right person for the work. Take a look at your team's skills and ask yourself who has clear strengths in the areas you want to delegate. Use your employees like "chess pieces" and strategically assign work that plays to their abilities. In the process, you'll not only empower but also increase the overall productivity of the team.
Alright, you know what to delegate and who to delegate it to. Now it's time to actually hand-off the task.
It takes a lot of upfront effort to train others. The process of mentoring a backup can be so time-consuming that many would rather overload themselves and run the risk of burn-out than teach someone else. It may not be convenient in the short term, but it's necessary for both you and your employee's development in the long run.
Google has broken down the process into these seven steps: