My boss is always dumping stuff on me at the last minute. How can I convince him to delegate work to me sooner so that there’s less pressure and I can do a better job?
Delegation strikes fear into the heart of many bosses – especially those who are new to management. They are anxious to give a good impression of themselves up the management ladder, and naturally think no-one can possibly do their job as well as they can.
Dispel that notion. The fact that your boss ultimately gives jobs to you – albeit with only moments to spare – is a good sign, even if it’s frustrating. If there’s a pattern to this – if certain tasks always have to be completed on the same day each week or month, suggest that you take on primary responsibility for the work and that you’ll ask if you have questions – and that you’ll show your work to your boss before it goes on to the next person or stage. That way, your boss will still feel in control – even though you’re in the driving seat.
But your boss’s last-minute panics may just as likely have their roots in good old-fashioned, complete and utter lack of organisation. Some people have so much paper on their desk – or muddled thoughts in their head and unread e-mails in their inbox – that it all becomes unmanageable. You being you, you’re terrifically organised (otherwise you wouldn’t be so eager to do something about those eleventh-hour tasks). If a slapdash approach to paperwork, time management, and prioritisation is evident, then perhaps it’s time for some stern upward management. Many disorganised managers secretly appreciate the efforts of loyal juniors to elbow them back into a more ordered state. Volunteer to manage the phone or look after some specific responsibilities for the afternoon while your boss disappears off to make sense of their in-tray and finally clear the decks for a less panicky regime.
Whatever you do may only have a temporary effect, so the prescription is definitely to repeat as necessary.