One of the most difficult parts of running an organization is delegating the work to employees and the team. Every employee working for a company will face the decision of taking up the responsibility and ownership for the work and lead the others in line with the vision and objective of the organization. However, this is not always to accomplish.
People tend to duck responsibilities and ownership for various reasons, ranging from fear of failure to downright laziness. Whatever the reason, companies also have the power to motivate such people to step up and do more. Instead of hoping the problem will go away on its own, managers, CEOs and founders can help in creating an environment where it is easy for the employees to take charge.
Smaller organizations tend to give certain additional tasks to the existing employees for lack of a functioning human resource department. While this does provide employees with the opportunity to take on the additional responsibility, it is important to make sure that such employees are not overburdened.
Here are a few ways to motivate employees to stand up and take charge!
Incentives
One of the simplest ways to motivate people is letting them know what they will get out of the entire experience. Especially when it comes to adding responsibilities, make sure that employees taking on additional workloads are rewarded for their contribution and additional efforts.
Explain what needs to be done and let them choose the best path forward
Instead of spoon feeding or setting up strict rules, explain the essentials of the situation and let the employees choose the next best step forward. Make sure the employees understand why the tasks need to be completed, give them the entire information to make their work easier and trust them to handle the rest.
Delegate clear roles
Let everyone in the company know what additional responsibilities are being placed on whose shoulder and why. Only when employees know what is expected of them will they be able to step into the role and generate results.
Promote cross departmental teamwork
Encourage the collaboration between various departments to ensure the entire company is on the same page. This will also help in increasing the communication in your company, create greater ability to capitalize on opportunities and develop better solutions to very difficult problems. Ease of communication between different teams will make it easier for team members from different departments take on the responsibility for various projects.
Have confidence
Have confidence in the abilities of the employees and encourage them to do more. Recognise and name the characteristics of people in such leadership roles and help them build their self belief as well. Let your employees know why you think they are capable to take on these responsibilities based on their performances and positive qualities.
Take baby steps
Instead of dumping a major workload on one individual, allow them to grow into the role by giving them a few responsibilities at a time. Identify the small steps they can take now and give them a chance to prove themselves in these situations. Once they have perfected the smaller steps, let them choose the bigger and bolder moves.
Constructive Feedback and criticism
Let the employees know what is working and why they have been giving positive results. At the same time, make the mistakes with constructive feedback to help the employees avoid such faults in the future. Provide them with whatever coaching they require to improve and further develop their knowledge and skills.
Resources
Try to make sure the employees have all the resources at their disposal to work well and generate positive results. From providing training, equipment, access to mentors and coaches, give the employees all the means to succeed.
Micromanagement is not your friend
While you want to ensure that the employees are working to the best of their abilities, micromanaging work will only alienate the employees. Managers looking into every step of the process or hovering over their shoulder and second guessing decisions are neither healthy or helpful. Employees tend to be reluctant to do anything or take charge with managers overlooking their every single work.
Acknowledge those who step up
Let those people who take on the added work know that they are appreciated and their work is a crucial part of the company. Acknowledgment reinforces a sense of belonging to the employees that their work matters and is respected by the management.
Small steps taken at the right time and at the right place will help the company in the long run.
