On Stanier (2020), 3rd chapter:
Thoughtful communication for managers
One should be thoughtful about communication. Remember to:
- Choose the proper medium for your messages
- Be consistent across media
- Adapt your message to the person or group receiving the message
- Be as direct and concise as you can be when providing feedback
- Be aware of your emotions and adjust accordingly (i.e., ask for more time before a meeting or make a disclosure of your mental state beforehand)
Meaning of delegation for managers
Managers delegate by definition. It is important to strike a balance between full control (you do everything yourself) and full delegation (fire and forget). Your judgment improves with deliberate practice.
However, some things to keep in mind:
- Delegate according to your staff's level. Always try to provide a challenge for them
- Decide on how much control to retain based on how critical the task is
Also remember not to:
- Let go of accountability (this is abdication, not delegation)
- Expect others to do things the way you do
- Take tasks back from people, you must support them
How to communicate well with your manager
There is the question on how to create good upwards communication. It is a good idea to be proactive (the book states this as "pull, don't push"). To achieve that:
- Understand how your performance as a manager will be evaluated
- Understand how your manager's performance will be evaluated
- Try to understand their world by asking questions related to work, but not directly related to your work
- Create weekly summaries with progress, problems, plans and how your staff (people in the book) are faring