Successful Delegation - Mind Tools

Delegation is not trying to make more work for your team, but to distribute it more efficiently so that tasks get allocated according to skills and ... MENU JointheClubFor$1! Login SkillAreas Back SkillAreas LeadershipSkills TeamManagement StrategyTools ProblemSolving DecisionMaking ProjectManagement TimeManagement StressManagement CommunicationSkills CreativityTools LearningSkills CareerSkills LearningFormats Back LearningFormats Bite-SizedTraining BookInsights(Audio) CareerCafe ExpertInterviews(Audio) Forums Infographics Learningstreams MindToolsApp MyLearningPlan Quizzes TemplatesandWorksheets Videos ForYourOrganization Newsletter Blog AboutUs HomeTeamManagementDelegatingEffectivelySuccessfulDelegation BytheMindToolsContentTeam BytheMindToolsContentTeam (117) 117ratings 12MINREADSuccessfulDelegationUsingthePowerofOtherPeople'sHelp ©iStockphotoAlexRathsBuildastrongandcapableteam. Doyoufeelstressedandoverloaded?Orlikeyourcareeris stalled?Ifso,thenyoumayneedtobrushuponyourdelegationskills! Ifyouworkonyourown,there'sonlyalimitedamountthatyoucando,howeverhardyouwork.Afterall,youcanonlyworksomanyhoursinaday,and thereareonlysomanypeopleyoucanhelp.And,becausethenumberofpeopleyoucanhelpislimited,yoursuccessislimited. However,thebetteryouatyourjob,themorepeoplewillexpect fromyou.Thiscanleadtounduepressueandworkoverload:youcan'tdoeverythingthateveryonewants.Andthiscanleaveyoufeelingstressed,unhappy,andasifyou'relettingpeopledown. Onthepositiveside,however,you'rebeinggivenatremendousopportunityifyoucanfindawayaroundthislimitation.Ifyoucanrealizethisopportunity,youcanbegenuinelysuccessful! Oneofthemostcommonwaysofovercomingthislimitationistolearnhowtodelegateyourworktoothers.Gooddelegatorsareabletobuildstrongandsuccessfulteamsthataremorethancapableof meetingthedemandsofaheavyworkload.Thisiswhydelegationissuchanimportantskilltolearn! FindingThisArticleUseful? Youcanlearnanother276teammanagementskills,likethis,byjoiningtheMindToolsClub. JointheMindToolsClub Today! GettheFreeNewsletter! Learn newcareerskillseveryweek,plus geta bonus BeaSuccessfulManagerChecklist,free! ReadourPrivacyPolicy WhyPeopleDon'tDelegate Therearemanypossiblereasonswhypeoplemightbeafraidofhandingovertasksorresponsibilities: TheyAreWorriedAboutDumpingTheirWorkonOthers Justbecausesomethingisnormallyamanager'sjobitdoesn’tmeanthatitcan’tbedonebyothers(unlessitisaspecificrolerequirementordependsonaparticularlevelofauthority).What's importantisthattheworkiscompleted,notwhodoesit.Ifteammembersappeartobetoobusy,it'sworthwhilecheckingwhattheyarebusywith.Itcouldbethattheyareworkingonlow-prioritywork,inwhichcasetheirworkloadcouldberearrangedtocarryoutthedelegatedtaskfirst. Delegationisnottryingtomakemoreworkforyour team,buttodistributeitmoreefficientlysothattasksgetallocatedaccordingtoskillsandworkloads.Ifteammembersunderstandthis,they’llbehappytocontributetotheteameffort. TheyFeelThreatened Itisimportantforthosewhodelegatetounderstandthattheywillnotbehandingovertheirentirejob–justcertaintasks.Anditisuptothemwhichonestheyhandover.Eveniftheydelegateseveraltasks,thejobofamanagerwillnotbecomeredundant.Theywillstillplayanimportantroleinsupportingandguidingtheteamandwillalwaysremainultimatelyresponsibleforthework. Andwhyworryaboutsomeoneelsedoingataskbetterthanyou?Iftheycandoitwell,allthemorereasonforgivingittothem!Theaimistomakeyourteammoreefficientandeffective–andtogiveothersopportunitiestousetheirskillsand develop. TheyDon’tWanttoLoseControl Whenworkishandedovertoothers,itwilltakethemtimetolearnhowtodoitaswellastheirpredecessor.Initially,thingswilltakelongerandqualitymaybereduced.However,withenoughsupportandguidance,thesehurdleswillquicklybeovercome. TheyThinkItWouldBeQuickertoDoItThemselves Everyonetakestimetolearnsomethingnew.Themoresupporttheyaregivenattheoutset,themorequicklytheywillbeabletodotheworkthemselves.Thosedelegatingworkshouldensurethattheygiveclearinstructions,andprovideplentyofguidance,praise,feedback,andreassurancealongthewaytobuildconfidence. WhentoDelegate Delegationisawin-winwhendoneappropriately. However,thatdoesnotmeanthatyoucandelegatejustanything.Todeterminewhendelegationismostappropriatetherearefivekeyquestionsyouneedtoaskyourself: Istheresomeoneelsewhohas(orcanbegiven)thenecessaryinformationorexpertisetocompletethetask?Essentiallyisthisataskthatsomeoneelsecando,orisitcriticalthatyoudoityourself? Doesthetaskprovideanopportunitytogrowanddevelopanotherperson'sskills? Isthisataskthatwillrecur,inasimilarform,inthefuture? Doyouhaveenoughtimetodelegatethejobeffectively?Timemustbeavailableforadequatetraining,forquestionsandanswers,foropportunitiestocheckprogress,andforreworkif necessary. IsthisataskthatIshoulddelegate?Taskscriticalforlong-termsuccess(forexample,recruitingtherightpeopleforyourteam)genuinelydoneedyourattention. Ifyoucananswer"yes"toatleastsomeoftheabovequestions,thenitcouldwellbeworthdelegatingthisjob.Thatbeingsaid,havingalltheseconditionspresentisnoguaranteethatthedelegatedtaskwillbecompletedsuccessfullyeither.Youalsoneedtoconsidertowhomyouwilldelegatethetaskandhowyouwilldoit. Tip: Otherfactorsthatcontributetothedelegabilityofataskinclude: Theproject'stimelines/deadlines. Howmuchtimeisthereavailabletodothejob? Istheretimetoredothejobifit'snotdoneproperlythefirsttime? Whataretheconsequencesofnotcompletingthejobontime? Yourexpectationsorgoalsfortheprojectortask(s),including: Howimportantisitthattheresultsareofthehighestpossiblequality? Isan"adequate"resultgoodenough? Wouldafailurebecritical? Howmuchwouldfailureimpactotherthings?   TheWhoandHowofDelegating Havingdecidedtodelegateatask,therearesomeotherfactorstoconsideraswell.Asyouthinkthesethrough,youcanuseourfreeDelegationLogworksheettokeeparecordofthetasksyouchoosetodelegateandwhoyouwanttodelegatethemto. ToWhomShouldYouDelegate? Thefactorstoconsiderhereinclude: Theexperience,knowledgeandskillsoftheindividualastheyapplytothedelegatedtask. Whatknowledge,skillsandattitudedoesthepersonalreadyhave? Doyouhavetimeandresourcestoprovideanytrainingneeded? Theindividual'spreferredworkstyle. Howindependentistheperson? Whatdotheywantfromtheirjob? Whataretheirlong-termgoalsandinterests,andhowdothesealignwiththeworkproposed? Thecurrentworkloadofthisperson. Doesthepersonhavetimetotakeonmorework? Willdelegatingthistaskrequirereshufflingofotherresponsibilitiesandworkloads? HowShouldYouDelegate? Usethefollowingprinciplestodelegatesuccessfully: Clearlyarticulatethedesiredoutcome.Beginwiththeendinmindandspecifythedesiredresults. Clearlyidentifyconstraintsandboundaries.Wherearethelinesofauthority,responsibilityandaccountability?Shouldtheperson: Waittobetoldwhattodo? Askwhattodo? Recommendwhatshouldbedone,andthenact? Act,andthenreportresultsimmediately? Initiateaction,andthenreportperiodically? Wherepossible,includepeopleinthedelegationprocess.Empowerthemtodecidewhattasksaretobedelegatedtothemandwhen. Matchtheamountofresponsibilitywiththeamountofauthority.Understandthatyoucandelegatesomeresponsibility,howeveryoucan'tdelegateawayultimateaccountability.Thebuckstopswithyou! Delegatetothelowestpossibleorganizationallevel.Thepeoplewhoareclosesttotheworkarebestsuitedforthetask,becausetheyhavethemostintimateknowledgeofeverydaywork.Thisalsoincreasesworkplaceefficiency,andhelpstodeveloppeople. Provideadequatesupport,andbeavailabletoanswerquestions.Ensuretheproject'ssuccessthroughongoingcommunicationandmonitoringaswellasprovisionofresourcesandcredit. Focusonresults.Concernyourselfwithwhatisaccomplished,ratherthandetailinghowtheworkshouldbedone:Yourwayisnotnecessarilytheonlyoreventhebestway!Allowthepersontocontroltheirownmethodsandprocesses.Thisfacilitatessuccessandtrust. Avoid"upwarddelegation."Ifthereisaproblem,don'tallowthepersontoshiftresponsibilityforthetaskbacktoyou.Instead,askforrecommendedsolutions anddon'tsimplyprovideananswer. Buildmotivationandcommitment.Discusshowsuccesswillimpactfinancialrewards,futureopportunities,informalrecognition,andotherdesirableconsequences.Providerecognitionwheredeserved. Establishandmaintaincontrol. Discusstimelinesanddeadlines. Agreeonascheduleofcheckpointsatwhichyou'llreviewprojectprogress. Makeadjustmentsasnecessary. Taketimetoreviewallsubmittedwork. Inthoroughlyconsideringthesekeypointspriortoandduringthedelegationprocess,youwillfindthatyoudelegatemoresuccessfully. KeepingControl Now,onceyouhaveworkedthroughtheabovesteps,makesureyoubriefyourteammemberappropriately.Taketimetoexplainwhytheywerechosenforthejob,what'sexpectedfromthemduringtheproject,thegoalsyouhavefortheproject,all timelinesanddeadlines,andtheresourcesonwhichtheycandraw.Andagreeascheduleforcheckinginwithprogressupdates. Lastly,makesurethattheteammemberknowsthatyouwanttoknowifanyproblemsoccur,andthatyouareavailableforanyquestionsorguidanceneededastheworkprogresses. Asamanager,it'simportantnotto micromanage   .However,thisdoesn'tmeanthatyou mustabdicatecontrolaltogether. Indelegatingeffectively,youhavetoachieveacareful balancebetweengivingenoughspaceforpeopletousetheirabilitiestobesteffect,whilestillmonitoringandsupportingcloselyenoughtoensurethatthejobisdonecorrectlyandeffectively. TheImportanceofFullAcceptance Whendelegatedworkisdeliveredbacktoyou,setasideenoughtimetoreviewitthoroughly.Ifpossible,onlyacceptgoodquality,completework.Ifyouacceptworkthatyouaren'tsatisfiedwith,yourteammemberwon't learnhow todothejobproperly. Tomakemattersworse,youthen acceptawholenewtrancheofworkthatyouwillprobablyneedtocompleteyourself.Notonlydoesthisoverloadyou,itmeansthatyoudon'thavethetimetodoyourownjobproperly. Ofcourse,whengoodworkisreturnedtoyou,makesuretobothrecognizeandrewardtheeffort   .Asaleader,youshouldcomplimentmembersofyourteameverytimeyouareimpressedbywhattheyhavedone.Thiseffortonyourpartwillgoalongwaytowardbuildingteammembers'self-confidenceandefficiency,bothofwhichwillbeimprovedonthenextdelegatedtask.Hence,youbothwin. KeyPoints Atfirstsight,delegationcanfeellikemorehasslethanit'sworth.However,bydelegatingeffectively,youcan expandyourteam'soutputandskillset. Whenyouarrangetheworkloadsothatyouareworkingonthetasksthathavethehighestpriorityforyou,andotherpeopleareworkingonmeaningfulandchallengingassignments,youhavearecipeforsuccess. Todelegateeffectively,choosetherighttaskstodelegate,identifythebestpeopleforthejob,andsupportthemalongtheway. Checkhoweffectivelyyou'redelegating withour"HowWellDoYouDelegate?"   quiz. DownloadWorksheet Thissiteteachesyoutheskillsyouneedforahappyandsuccessfulcareer;andthisisjustoneofmany toolsandresourcesthatyou'llfindhereatMindTools.Subscribetoour freenewsletter,or jointheMindToolsClubandreallysuperchargeyourcareer! AddthisarticletoMyLearningPlan MarkarticleasComplete ShowRatings HideRatings Ratings Ratethisresource Freeloginneeded. Login / CreateLogin. JointheMindToolsClubandGet4FreeWorkbooks! TheMindToolsClubgivesyouexclusive tipsand toolstoboostyourcareer-plusafriendlycommunityandsupportfromour careercoaches!  FindOutMore JointheMindToolsClub SignupforourFREEnewsletter Comments(25) Overamonthago Michelewrote HIDecky, Thankyouforyourfeedback.Weappreciateitverymuch. Michele MindToolsTeam Overamonthago Deckywrote GoodarticleIndeed!UsefulsuggestiongivenonDelegation.Hiringtherightperson/companyisthemostimportantpartofdelegation.Iplannedtodelegatesomeofmyofficialwork. Overamonthago Midgiewrote Hicampnavy, WelcometotheClubandhopeyoufoundthisarticleondelegationofinterestanduseful. IwonderifthedelegationworksheetthatyouarereferringtoistheTaskDelegationWorksheetthatformspartoftheDelegationBite-SizedTrainingcourse?Hereislinktothecourse:https://www.mindtools.com/community/Bite-SizedTraining/Delegation.php Thisworksheetcontainspromptstooutlinethetaskyouaredelegating,thepersonyouaredelegatingto,thecompletiondate,specificgoals,even'whentoreferback'andmuchmore. Ifyouhaveanyfurtherquestions,comeonovertotheForumsandaskus.TheForumsarewheremembersaskquestionsandofferideasandthoughtstoothers.We'dlovetohelpandwelearnsomuchfromeachsohopetoseeyouoverthere. Midgie MindToolsTeam ViewAllComments PreviousArticle Previous NextArticle Next GettheFreeNewsletter! Learn newcareerskillseveryweek,plus geta bonus BeaSuccessfulManagerChecklist,free! ReadourPrivacyPolicy GettheFreeNewsletter! Learn newcareerskillseveryweek,plus geta bonus BeaSuccessfulManagerChecklist,free! ReadourPrivacyPolicy Subscribeforunlimitedaccess TheMindToolsClubgivesyouexclusive tipsand toolstoboostyourcareer-plusafriendlycommunityandsupportfromour careercoaches!  JointheClub 1DaytoGo! AllowYourTeamtoLearnFromHome Discover MindToolsforBusiness-empoweringeveryoneinyourorganizationtothriveatworkwithaccesstolearningwhentheyneedit.  FindOutMore 1DaytoGo! RelatedResources FromMindTools HowWellDoYouDelegate? 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