1. Hiring. Really? Okay, consider this: If your colleague needs an assistant, who’s going to know exactly the caliber required and make an effort to hire the very best? Yup, the person who’s going to be relying on this new employee daily.
2. Supervising others. “Employees really grow into their roles, and loyalty is promoted when they have to assume responsibility for colleagues,” says Payne. “Bosses lose countless hours dealing with daily gripes. Once I handed care over to mentors, my daily calls dropped off by about 60 percent!”
3. Promoting company culture. It has to start with the leaders, but a culture never becomes embedded unless employees are living it. Get your team to organize company functions like charity cake bakes or online forums. “It sounds corny,” says Payne, “but I was inspired and humbled to see how those in charge cared about the success of their venture.” Caveat: You must support whatever’s organized to give the responsibility you’ve delegated weight.
4. Events and corporate hospitality. Again, it helps employees buy into the idea of and beliefs of the company, encouraging them to care about who they’re representing—which is what success is built on. “Plus junior members are less jaded, so they generate refreshing ideas and represent an enthusiastic company face!” says Payne.
5. Meeting attendance. “Not the big strategic meets, but all the others that clog up your day,” says Payne. “Do not underestimate how this empowers the junior you train to go in your stead or your team if you let them run themselves.” Before they go, sit down with them to make sure they represent you well.
6. Sales. Delegate the responsibility of brokering discounts and fees. “Define parameters, of course,” says Payne, “but then give them their head to broker the best deal they can for their company."
7. Motivation. “Get your employees organizing all social/bonding events over the year, like the Christmas party. This frees you up and gradually introduces teams to annual budget management,” says Payne. “Experiments like this can highlight hidden project management superstars in the making.” And teach hard: If they blow it—no more cash.
8. Team policy making. “If the team who’ll be living by the policies creates them they’ll be more likely to stick to them,” says Payne. “Your authority should simply cover company policy—only intervene to ensure team policies stay in line with those.”
