You're facing pushback from your team in Facilities Engineering. How can you effectively delegate tasks?

Pushback comes when you enter an environment where the people in charge or with special skills feel that you are a threat. Not long ago I was placed in charge of 4 installation teams as tehir Manager and Manager of the Department with each team consisting of an Electrician, 2x Installers and 1x installer assistant. The 4 teams were overseed by a Supervisor. The pushback I received was IMMENSE but in my experience working with all cultures in SA and in Africa, I knew that this was coming. One must remember that to be in charge of people and dishing out instructions, these people will NOT obey if you yourself cannot do their work or even better. Needless to say that handling the situation calmly and diplomatically, things changed for the best

Understand the influencing factor of the pushback and work towards it. Sometime pushback is good as this will help discover the opponents either he/she already in a position to said so or it could be some external factors contributing for the pushback. Being a good observer in handling this scenario will lead to solve the pushback to pullback factor.

You want your engineers to push back until a plan is optimized. It shows you hired the right people. Just do it in a friendly professional way. Make everyone look good in the process... win, win, win.

Siempre una buena comunicación con el equipo de trabajo. Dudas sobre el tema, saber si tienen claro el objetivo y si es posible ir al sitio de trabajo para corroborar que lo entendieron y pueden darle seguimiento.

Here's the translated version: --- In case of any resistance from the team in performing their assigned tasks, it is crucial to start by identifying the actual cause of the resistance. Determine whether it is from the entire team or just a few individuals. Listen to several team representatives individually and discuss the main reasons. Then, redistribute the tasks in a way that benefits the workflow without delays or backlogs.

Sometimes it's necessary to be results-oriented first, and create a middle ground to walk through together. Delegation will be difficult if you still don't understand what you want to achieve.

To delegate tasks effectively amid pushback, start by fostering open communication. Acknowledge your team’s concerns and clearly explain the "why" behind each task, aligning them with broader goals. This helps your team see the value in their work. Delegate based on strengths, allowing team members to take ownership of tasks where they excel, boosting confidence and reducing resistance. Offer support through regular check-ins rather than micromanagement, encouraging questions and feedback. Lastly, celebrate small wins; recognising achievements fosters morale and creates a positive team culture around shared responsibility.

For clear communication and delegation of task, it is necessary for you to clearly understand the task. If you are not clear about task, how will you distribute the task between you team. For clear and effective communication you have to understand your team and their potential.

It is appropriate to assign responsibilities according to each individual's ability. This is very effective, but it can be developed for each individual to understand the basic information of other jobs, in terms of increasing knowledge.

Un ejemplo que he vivido, es establecer claramente las expectativas de lo que se busca en las instalaciones en ocasiones se busca aterrizar una idea pero si no se comunica efectivamente los resultados no son lo mismo, me ha funcionado preguntar: cómo lo planteas tu? Tú evalúas como quedara mejor ! Este tipo de frases le da autonomía a quien ejecute, tu solo marcas criterios de éxitos, tiempo, calidad y que debe quedar funcionando

This is human tendency and urge to be appreciated. Appreciating your team for completion of their tasks or other innovative ideas helps to bond the team, which leads the team to think and perform out of the box. Sometimes teams need the appreciation, this gives motivation to perform given task.