• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Delegating effectively

delegation

Delegation is defined as shifting authority and responsibility for particular functions, tasks or decisions from one person (usually a leader or manager) to another.

Trusting that you are very well and yet again happy it is a Friday. Time seems to be rolling by fast. I feel we said happy New Year only last week, and we are already in May. Today we will be looking at delegation. Delegation is usually a problem even though of great importance. Years ago, multitasking was a good word, but it is no longer the case. A good, well-run organization must have managers who know how to delegate.

A manager who does not delegate will quickly feel stressed, strained, unhappy and burnt out. Anyone working alone can only do a limited amount of work because they will be constrained by the number of work hours, focus and energy. A person can only do a few tasks in those hours; only so many people can be helped by doing these tasks. As the number of people involved is limited, success is small.

However, delegation gives a tremendous opportunity for genuine success! Knowing how to delegate effectively will help quickly build a solid and successful team and meet the demands of the work.

People don’t delegate, however, because it takes a lot of up-front effort. Often it seems easier to just do things ourselves, but that is not always a good use of time. In the time it would take, you could initiate a new campaign, develop a strategy and even come up with new ideas.

Also, meaningfully involving other people in the project develops their skills and abilities. Next time a similar project comes along, you can delegate the task with a high degree of confidence that it will be done well, with much less involvement from you.

Delegation allows people to make the best use of their time and skills, and it helps other people in the team grow and develop to reach their full potential in the organization.

Delegation is a win-win situation when done appropriately. However, that does not mean that anything can be delegated at any times.

Many things have to be considered to determine when delegation is most appropriate. For example, is there someone else who has the necessary information or expertise to complete the task?

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Essentially is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself? Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person’s skills? Is this a task that will recur, in a similar form, in the future? Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively? Time must be available for adequate training, for questions and answers, for opportunities to check progress, and for rework, if that is necessary.

Is this a task that should be delegated? Tasks critical for long-term success (for example, recruitment) genuinely needs your attention. Also, consider timelines and deadlines for the completion of the project. Is there time to do the job and redo it if necessary? What are the consequences if the project has to be reworked?

What are the expectations for the task? Does the task have to be of the highest quality, or will an average result be okay? If the task fails, how will this impact other things?

That being said, having all these conditions present is no guarantee that the delegated task will be completed successfully either. Who a task is delegated must also be considered. You also need to consider to whom you will delegate the task and how you will do it.

Again, just like you cannot delegate anything, you cannot delegate to just anyone. The experience, knowledge and skills of the individual as applied to the delegated task. What knowledge, skills, and attitude does the person already have? Is any training needed, and do the resources exist to carry it out.

Does the person have the same work style as the job requires? Does the person have the same personality profile as the task require? What are their long-term goals, and how does that align with the organizational goals?

The person’s current workload and whether or not they have the time and skills to do the needful. Will this delegation involve reshuffling other tasks?

Initially, when you first start to delegate, the individual may take longer to complete the task. Remember, you are an expert, and they may are just learning. Be patient, and if you have chosen the right person to delegate to, and you are delegating correctly, you will find that they quickly become competent and reliable.

Please be sure to read next week’s article and use it to re-evaluate your skills of delegation.