Busy managers least effective

Managers who seem the busiest usually end up achieving the least, it has been claimed.

According to management development expert Mark Jacobs of the The Mdina Partnership, bosses are most productive when they have less on their plate.

Jacobs said there was a direct correlation between managers who delegate effectively and those who regularly exceed their goals.

“Busy managers are inefficient because they remain focused on performing tasks and rarely get an overview of what their team is doing,” said Jacobs. “With these kind of people it’s not unusual to see staff sitting around with nothing to do, while their manager is racing around stressed out.

“An effective manager delegates as much as they can to their team, and invests all the time they release into developing that team. Overall it becomes a machine that’s driven to meet goals, with the manager turning into a true leader.”

Jacobs advised managers to be willing to delegate tasks without abdicating responsibility for them, as willing being on hand to review objectives and offer support.

He said it was very important to give clear and specific instructions when delegating and a failure to do so was the most common reason for problems arising.

© Crimson Business Ltd. 2009