It’s Time to Hand the Work Back


For months—and far longer in some cases—managers have been stepping in to cover the duties of multiple roles to ensure that the crucial work gets done. Even as staffing levels start to stabilize in county governments, the scramble to just stay above water means that many individuals have not had the training they need to really perform.

When staff lack the knowledge and understanding to do the work right, leaders will find themselves unable to hand duties fully over to them due to a lack of trust in their performance. So your job is to help your people develop the competence and clarity necessary for team members to do the work at the level of quality it needs to be done.

Competence means individuals and teams have the technical skills necessary to perform their duties and the ability to think things through and make good decisions when things don’t go according to plan.

Clarity means individuals and teams understand the larger goals of the organization and the unit so that they understand how their work fits in. This enables them to do the right thing at decision points.

As the leader, create a plan where you and others mentor and train each person as needed to develop competence while continually speaking to the vision of the organization and the community. This takes time in the short term, but it’s the path forward to a high-performing team that doesn’t need you at their side to do the right work the right way. 

For a deeper dive into competence and clarity, check out David Marquet’s 2015 book, Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders.