The Importance of Delegation in a Signshop

AS A LEADER OF employees in your company, it is your duty to develop workers who are responsible, independent and efficient when it comes to their work. It is common for managers to carry some or most of the traits of an A-type personality, meaning they work hard and are high achievers. However, this can also mean they are impatient, untrusting and have a need for control.

Doing Things Yourself Only Gets You So Far

It can be easy as a manager to prefer completing tasks yourself, holding the rationalization that you know it will get done and it will be correct, but is that the best strategy for your shop’s overall well-being? This was a way of thinking I myself was guilty of when I first began in production management and carried into the signshop I currently run. I would find myself getting upset if I was not looped into everything going on in the facility I was overseeing, regardless of how small the issue. This mindset became a hindrance to my work by taking me away from the tasks that truly needed my attention and dampening my mood. The remedy to this issue that ultimately improved both my management style and work productivity was learning the importance of delegation and the strategies best suited to its application.

The moment I began to realize my current controlling style of management was not sustainable happened during a work trip when one of the machines in my shop broke down. It was a newer piece of machinery that I had done all the installation and troubleshooting on since it had been purchased. I had not passed on enough of the problem-solving or setup knowledge to any of my shop employees, resulting in the machine’s down time being drawn out for much longer than needed.

Lifting Your Team to Ensure Success

After this efficiency-killing event happened while I was out of the office, I knew that delegation and knowledge-sharing were pressing needs; however, I did not know where to start. My transition in management style hit a real stride after I attended a leadership seminar run by Mack Story and read his books on blue-collar management. His philosophy focuses on management staff acting as leaders who uplift their team to ensure they are successful on their own, as he says in his book, Blue-Collar Leadership & Supervision, “Managers value being in control. Leaders value the team being in control.”

This management style was new to me but I found it to be extremely beneficial both to my employees and myself. The people who seemed to benefit the most were some of my newer shop workers who are younger and eager to learn. I began to encourage them to take ownership of their work areas, tools, machinery and finished products. This added control over their work not only increased their productivity, but also their skills as sign manufacturers. The end result of this process yielded employees who were able to handle breakdowns and obstacles much more effectively without my intervention.

Changing one’s habits when it comes to personal or professional life can be difficult, but managers who learn to let go of some responsibility and delegate will benefit their workers and their shop in the long run. Many small issues can arise in a signshop throughout the day, and although a manager needs to be involved in the larger issues, the smaller ones should be something an experienced and well-led shop is capable of solving itself. I would highly recommend Mack Story’s seminar and books, but there are other resources on delegation tips on the internet including Harvard Business School’s article available here.