I mentioned that you shouldn’t take back a delegated assignment when it becomes evident that your employee is experiencing problems. Reverse delegation occurs when an employee returns the task to the manager who assigned it. The buck passing often goes unnoticed by managers, because it often happens very informally. For instance, an employee may say, “Boy, have I had a rough time today,” which prompts the manager to ask, “What kind of help do you need?” or to offer, “Tell me about it.” Either way, the manager is hooked. Before he or she knows it, the manager has resumed responsibility for the task. Told the nature of the problem, the manager might say, “Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you,” or, “I can see your problem. Let me see what I can do about it.” The employee may want to give up the task, or the manager may like to feel needed. Whatever the reason, the end result is the same: the manager is now stuck with the “delegated” task.
If you, over time, delegate work but then see yourself stuck with it, you may want to reverse the reverse delegation. The secret is to stop the process right at the start. Don’t take on the problem. Rather, ask the employee to think further about the situation and come back with some potential solutions. You might even add, “Thank you for making me aware of the problem.” You leave the responsibility for the task with the employee.