Canadian Government Executive - Volume 25 - Issue 03

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT August/September 2019 // Canadian Government Executive / 25 The odds seemed impossible, and they would all certainly die if the rescuers failed. What joy then when four months later a ship appeared on the horizon with Shackleton on its bow shouting, “Are you all well?” And the call came back, “All safe! All well!” Faith in their leader held them together, and hope kept them alive over those months. They believed that Shack- leton would find a way. Shrewd public managers are savvy stewards. They have practical knowledge and the ability to make good judgements. They exhibit wisdom, trust, and devotion. Virtuous managers choose, or are chosen, to maneuver people, circumstances, and changes along preferred paths toward outcomes that serve greater interests. Purists call this effective delegation. Surviving and thriving Global terrorism, human migration, corporate financial debacles, and other critical societal issues prompt increased recognition of and response to hazardous risks. While awareness of risk as threat is imperative, risks also afford opportuni- ties, leading to new comparative advan- tages. Most managers have a survival instinct in their DNA. When they sense threat, they focus quickly on the source and pre- pare for ‘fight or flight’. Threat triggers negative emotions like fear, anger, or shame. They go into high-energy, rapid problem-solving mode to counter or eliminate threats. Some managers are also known to thrive on chaos. They look with broad- ened perspective for threats that can be turned into opportunities, this time trig- gered by positive emotions like passion, pride, or curiosity. These leaders see opportunities the rest of us do not and mobilize others to capitalize. Progress sustains the energy to tackle the biggest challenges that require adaptation, in- vention, innovation, disruption, competi- tion, even a leap of faith. Managerial minds more readily see threats associated with combatting mo- nopolistic organizational culture than breakthrough opportunities. The chal- lenge is to ensure that management systems detect and activate priority problems that need urgent attention to avoid frenzied, time-wasting elsewhere. Dashboard-equipped middle managers who only act on bad news regardless of importance can multiply dysfunctional effects throughout and beyond the orga- nization. The other challenge is to learn how to proactively search for game-changing opportunities. This means thinking and talking about opportunities, arousing positive emotions, and accentuating leadership across the organization. A multi-faceted strategy calls for compe- tent change groups and champions, data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and accountability for results. Initiatives should breed ‘leadership from many’. Preparing to delegate Poor or insufficient delegation results from the belief that there is no one to delegate to or that “no one can do it better than me”. Fear of losing author- ity, depending on others, receiving poor work quality, or feeling threatened by someone who can do it better are com- mon leadership mistakes. Some self-cat- egorize as short-sighted leaders, but not because they want to feel indispensable, cling to authority, hoard work, or sideline the team. They know they are not good at delegation. Poor or insufficient delegation results from the belief that there is no one to delegate to or that “no one can do it better than me”. Fear of losing authority, depending on others, receiving poor work quality, or feeling threatened by someone who can do it better are common leadership mistakes. Everyone at every level needs to know how to be an effective delegator because we all lead and follow. Delegation is a vi- tal management tool that: • Reveals ways for leaders to reallocate work and share heavy burdens; • Allows leaders to step away so talent can be spotted and developed; • Frees leaders to practice self-care es- sential to healthy lifestyles; and • Enables leaders to be more effective on the job and in caring for others. The Canada School of Public Service of- fers just-in-time, online, self-paced train- ing to new, acting, or restructured manag- ers with expanded authorities. They learn about their roles, responsibilities, and ac- countabilities relative to the authorities delegated to manage programs, services, people, finances, procurement, informa- tion, and communications. To delegate effectively, managers at all levels must ask: What should I stop do- ing? Where should I focus my time? They need to collaborate on the ‘middle man- agement problem’ intrinsic to significant transformations. They need to eschew labels like ‘control freak’, ‘survival first’, ‘problem here’, and ‘silo politics’ in favour of ‘opportunity knocks’. J ohn W ilkins is Associate: Public Management at York University. He was a career public servant and diplomat. (jwilkins@schulich.yorku.ca )