It is often said to us by busy Manager’s that they should probably delegate more, but don’t get around to it.
So what stops them? Reasons range from “I just don’t have time to explain it all” through to “ I just can’t be sure it will be done properly!” These all sound more like excuses than valid reasons for not delegating. The only valid reason would be perhaps a task that shouldn’t be delegated to anyone else (e.g. for privacy or legal reasons). Anything else could be an opportunity to save the Manager valuable time, but more importantly – develop team member’s capabilities and even motivate them.
Remember delegation isn’t simply a reallocation of work, or a quick “dumping” of a task, but a planned conversation of work relating to their development. The important part of the process is to show the VALUE of the work you are sharing! People respond well when someone shows interest in them, and delegation is an excellent tool to demonstrate this. There are benefits to all in the delegation process!
So have you managed to successfully delegate a task recently? What did you learn? Here is our suggested step by step process for delegation;
1. Set out the result you expect to be achieved:
Convey the scope of the job, what it will look like when it is complete and your confidence in them making a success of it.
2. Explain why they have been chosen to do the task:
Set out the benefits for them to answer their question “What’s in it for me?”.
3. Set the standards by which they will be judged:
Quality, Quantity, Cost and Time are the measures by which the end result can be judged.
4. Say how you will monitor progress:
“I’ll see you at the end of the week to ….”
5. Now get them to summarise the key points for you!