Delegation: Art or Science?
Delegation is
empowering someone to act on your behalf or giving someone a task to
perform. Some people are masters at delegating. Others struggle. Having been on both sides of delegation, I’ve
seen a number of things to do and to avoid.
To save time, I’m calling the person to whom the task is
being delegated the “delegatee” and the person giving the task the “delegator”.
Do:
Delegate only what you would be prepared to (and could) do yourself. You may need to give guidance. If you haven’t a clue, how do you expect the
delegatee to do a good job?
Take time when delegating.
Explain, give any limits of authority and resources, clarify
instructions. Make sure that others
involved know the limits of authority for the task. Allow delegatees time to clarify and ask
questions.
Plan what, how and to whom you’ll delegate. Some people are better suited to certain
tasks than others.
Pick the right delegatee.
If the task needs a French speaker, make sure they speak French.
Make sure that the delegatee has the knowledge and
experience to perform the task (unless it’s being given as a challenge).
Treat delegation as a way of developing talent. Every whale has to be trained.
Treat delegation as a way of spreading workload.
Check from time to time that the delegates is “on course, on
time”. No point in having a nasty
surprise…
Don’t:
Assume people understand what you mean. Check.
It saves time later and avoids crises.
Forget that, although you’ve delegated responsibility, accountability
remains with you.
Treat delegation as an easy way of avoiding tasks you don’t
enjoy. People will sense this very
quickly.
Treat delegation as a way to punish someone. The “penal jobs” will be obvious.
Show favouritism in choosing to whom to delegate. Everyone deserves a fair chance. You might even get a pleasant surprise…
Delegate the same task to two/more people; this results in
confusion and lack of responsibility.
I’ve heard managers try to get things “off their plate” as
quickly as they can, telling the delegatee “Oh, just work it out yourself!” or
“do whatever you think right!” This is another way of saying “I’m not taking
the blame for any of your decisions or mistakes.” If you don't have the time to explain and
clarify, don’t delegate.
Expect to invest time at the start. As you get used to delegating, and as people get
used to you and your style, they will understand better how you like things
done and how you work. They will need
less clarification as time goes on.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 10:28
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