What to do when Delegating Goes Wrong

By | January 6, 2014

NegotiationWhen we talk with new dentists, one challenge comes up frequently — the difficulty in getting comfortable with delegating. But whether you own a practice or work for one, there is simply no way to do it all yourself.

Over at the HBR blog, Elizabeth Grace Saunders has a series of suggestions for how to delegate effectively. Here’s a tip that caught our attention:

Once you start to let go of control, inevitably there will be a time when something doesn’t get done in the way that you would prefer. Your gut reaction will lead you to blame yourself for letting go — “Why did I ever let anyone else do this?” – which typically manifests on the surface as anger toward or frustration with others. But instead of immediately putting the work back on your agenda, transform this situation into an opportunity for learning. First, evaluate whether you could do anything differently in the future. Second, help the people who did the work understand what they need to know to complete the work successfully next time. Often you don’t know what went wrong until you really dig in.

What is your best advice for someone new to delegating tasks? Share your answers in the comments.

One thought on “What to do when Delegating Goes Wrong

  1. steve@adelaide.dentist

    I too have experienced such things in my clinic Adams Dental. Sometimes, nothing goes your way and you turn up taking all your frustrations out on someone. You should never do that, instead of blaming yourself and other you should start fixing it or teaching the new doing the right task.

    Reply

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