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I managed a team of two to four writers for almost 2 years, and
I found that the *absolutely* worst thing I could ever do was assign
the projects that I didn't want to do to my team. It creates
resentment, undermines their respect for you, and doesn't give them
the opportunity to grow. I think you might also find that you become a
victim to turnover.
Speaking for myself, and please do not take offense, but I would not
work in that situation if at all possible. Work should be enjoyable,
and getting only the "bad" tasks would be a constant reminder of
underling status.
I found that the most successful teams I ever managed were the hands
off teams. I gave an assignment, I made myself available, I reviewed
it on completion, and I treated my team like my friends and always
with the utmost respect. It's been many years, and we *still* get
together for "team" parties even though we live many miles apart and
no longer work together.
Oh, and nothing builds trust from your team than taking the hard or
bad assignment yourself. My first team leader made sure that he always
did as much dirty work as I did, and even gave me plenty of
opportunities to take the lead. I was very inexperienced and very
young, but I owe the foundation of my writing and career to his
attitude and management style.
YMMV,
Dave
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