b'an associate professor and faculty director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness at the University at Buffalo School of Management in New York, says the best leaders are generally conscientious, positive and trustworthy team-builders. Great business managers tend to be people who pause and think things through, rather than just going with their gut and trusting their intuition, he says. They are active planners, engaged listeners, and humble learners who never assume they know all they need to know.Sharing the LoadNo matter how competent and capable a leader, a business cant succeed on one persons skills alone. A true leader excels in building and empowering an effective team. When it comes to delegating tasks to employees, White says a leader needs to understand what each of their team members is able to do well. That understanding that comes through con-sistent and verifiable demonstration, and consideration of each staff persons unique priorities and personality. It is imperative to factor in [team members] developmental needs, potential, and work preferences, he says. Lemoine agrees. He says delegating tasks to employees Elaine Froese of Boissevain Select Seeds credits the companysrequires thoughtful consideration of employees skillsets, strengths success with its collaborative management style. and weaknesses, not just the leader or leaders to-do list.PHOTO: BOISSEVAIN SELECT SEEDS Often when managers delegate tasks, the reason is simply to move some things off their own plate to free up time for other, more important tasks, he says. Theres nothing necessarily wrong with that logicto a pointbut if employees believe the only reason theyre being entrusted with responsibilities is to make their managers life easier, many of the benefits of delega-tion go unrealized.Once decisions about delegation are made, communication is key. Once a match has been identified, its important to have alignment on ways of working, decision-making authority, responsibility, timelines, resource needs and success metrics associated with the task, says White. Beyond this, recurring open lines of communication ensure transparency and mutual, timely constructive feedback." White says delegation is also especially important not only when it comes to building new leaders, but also as a way of building company culture. For new leaders, [delegation] represents managerial and organizational trust they canand willmake the right deci-sions; supported by guiding values of creativity, openness, responsibility, and entrepreneurialism, he says. Further, it supports identification and development of potential, strengths, competencies, and capabilities. It is a visible demonstration of strategic prioritization meaning all leaders/employees know where to put their time, effort, and energy to accelerate business James Lemoine, an Associate Professor and Faculty Director of thegoals and objectives. Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness at theThe most effective delegation occurs when leaders maintain University at Buffalo School of Management, says it is important toan agile and flexible leadership style, White adds, allowing them delegate tasks to employees thoughtfully, consider their uniqueto effectively coach employees to the degree needed. skillsets, strengths and priorities.PHOTO: JAMES LEMOINE Lance Stockbrugger is a strong believer in leading by exam-8/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2023'