By Scott Sargis
Published in CNET Tech Republic
July 14, 2003
“Delegating is a very ripe issue with my clients recently,” said Scott Sargis, founder of Chicago-based executive recruiting firm Strategic Search Corporation. “Upper management is trying to get more with less, certainly in the IT space.”
Executive recruiter Sargis advised incorporating a personal touch into the delegation effort.
“The key theme is connection,” he said. A good way to make the connection is to provide team leisure time–an outing or after work event.
“There are a lot of things a CIO can do that don’t necessarily cost a great deal of money. I think executives need to go back to more personal kinds of things. Perhaps on a Friday have a social event that’s not too costly to create camaraderie,” he said.
These types of efforts will give you a closer connection with your people, and when “they’re more on a personal level, employees are more likely to believe them about cutbacks and taking on more work,” he added.
Sargis gave one warning about the personal touch. “The big caveat is that you don’t spend too much money on these kinds of things. There will be a huge backlash if employees suspect you’re making cutbacks–and at the same time you’re throwing parties.”
