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Teach How to Swim First, Then Push into the Water!

Many companies hire people for certain jobs for many reasons, and sometimes those poor employees become the victim  of mismanagement and poor leadership. They usually end up hating the job and loosing their self-steam  or getting fired.

Isn't this an extra cost? Waste of Money and Time?
Is it a hiring problem or it is the individuals who got hired?
Is it the recruitment process?
Is the management and leadership? or is it the shortage of right people?
or is it the whole system?


All these companies have certain process for hiring, recruiters have enough skills (hopefully!) to lead the recruitment process. A person who applies for a job usually believes he/she can handle the task (minus those who apply for everything due to many other reasons!).

Therefore, the process is kinda standard and somehow fine, although as many other standard processes, it can be done much better, and applicants believe in their capability. For the sake of short this short blog, let's assume that there is nothing wrong with hiring process and applicants know what they are applying for! what remain are management and leadership.

Due to many reasons ,such as shortage of labor (Yes, there is a shortage of right labor!) and lack of time, a company decides to hire an individual who may not be ready enough to do the job. Management decides to not wait and hire that individual and push him to swimming pool and wish that she will learn how to swim. But can she compete? Can she save someone else? what a risky wish is this, what if she sinks? Well, if she sinks, it is her problem! Manager tries to give her a chance and responsibility, The Manager even shout from - while standing out of water -  "swim, just move your legs and arms and you will be fine"

I have no problem by pushing one into the swimming pool , but do you push a one year old into the water? How about a 7 years old?

The problem starts when a manager starts personnel development by pushing into the water and they call it delegation!

A true leader and a great manager knows if she jumps to full delegation from day one, she will start to destroy her follower. She knows such a follower needs direction, a step by step direction, she knows that she must INVEST time to develop and grow her follower, she knows that her follower needs to be watched carefully and be corrected all the time, she knows that she needs to be patients.

She knows when time comes, she can then let her follower to do the task on her own (with other followers help), it is only at this time that she can delegate BUT coaches carefully. Full delegation starts only after the follower passes this stage and the stage after coaching.

To put it in a simple perspective, you control and direct your new guy for a while and only when you are sure he is ready, you let him do the task on his own, at this moment you watch him carefully and you give him constructive feedback constantly, and when you are sure he is ready to go to the next step then you  give him a task and let him do it without you but you should give him assurance that you are there for full support if needed. When he passes this stage then you can push him to the swimming pool to swim and compete with others.

Unfortunately many employees become victim of weak management and end up miserable! there is a book called one minute manager on leadership, it is a small book, but explains the whole process in a perfect way., much better that this blog.If you have not read it yet, I strongly recommend you to go and buy it now, because you can be changed in couple of hours and bring more value to your team and your company.





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