Project Manager Tip: Do What You Do Best, Delegate the Rest

Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a project administrator!


One thing project managers must come to terms with is what they're good at and what they're not. That's not to say you shouldn't build skills in deficient areas, but nobody can be good at everything. The key is to delegate what you're not good at. This was one of Peter Drucker's key points in The Effective Executive, one of the best management books of all time.

For instance, to really focus on the leadership of a project, delegate the project accounting and administration to a "project control specialist," something we've suggested here at PMThink for a while now. A tip from "The Motivational Manager", from Ragan Management Resources (fast becoming one of my favorite newsletters), is to even delegate employee regonition if you're not good at it or too tied up to do it effectively.

Employee recognition is such a critical part of project success, and so often overlooked. It should ideally be done by the project manager, or better yet, senior management. But as a last resort, why not make employee recognition a formal part of someone's role on a project team or in a department. Of course, even then the recognition should be acknowledged by the overall manager.

Food for thought.