Feeling snowed under? Learn the art of Delegation

Bizland Journalist

 


As much as you would like to believe it, there will come a time when you can't do it all. Many people are reluctant to hand work over to other people, mistakingly believing the old saying that "if you want a job done properly, do it yourself." Trying to take on too much at once can be detrimental not only to yourself, but also your business - don't be too proud to ask for help.

Why delegate?
Once people have learned how to work with you, they will be able to take over some of the jobs that you do not have time to do, particularly those routine yet necessary tasks, such as correspondence or bookkeeping, that prevent you from focussing in your core, more important activities. Sometimes it is more cost effective to delegate work to an employee with the skills that you don't have for a particular task, rather than wasting your time and trying at length to figure it out on your own. Your staff will also enjoy their jobs more and therefore perform better if they feel that they are trusted enough to grow and develop in other areas.

As a manager you should therefore be delegating all routine activities to your staff, leaving you time to focus, plan and think about what you are doing, and the future of your company.

How to delegate

* Decide what to delegate:
List the things that you do which could be done more effectively by someone else, who either has more skills in that area, or someone who will be more cost effective. Consider also delegating those activities that you spend too long working on to someone who could do it more efficiently, or someone with more time to work on their hands.
* Choose capable, willing people to assist:
You need to consider the ability, experience and reliability of your employees when delegating - they should be able to get on with the job without your assistance - after all it might take longer in the long run if the person is insufficiently skilled and keeps coming back with questions. However this does not mean that less experienced people cannot be trained - once they have got the hang of the task they will be able to take over unsupervised, and will soon be ready to take over more.
* Be clear of your expectations:
Make sure that your employee knows what is expected of him or her, in terms of results, importance, constraints and deadlines. Let them also know when you expect reports on the progress of the project.
* Take a back seat:
Once the task has been delegated, take a step back and allow your employee to get on with it. Check on the project at the agreed times only - there is nothing worse than having a manager constantly breathing down your neck! Allow your employee to work in their own way, but be there to offer advice and help where needed.
* Ensure that the work is complete:
Don't accept the project until it is complete - after all you delegated it because you didn't have time to do it, so why waste time completing it for someone else!
* Give credit where due:
Encourage your employees by praising a job well done - you will have more willing employees in the future.

What not to delegate

While you should delegate as many tasks as possible that are not cost effective for you to do yourself, make sure that you still maintain control of your team. IN the end you are responsible for the success or failure of what you are trying to achieve - so make sure that you still maintain your ground. Effective delegation is achieving the correct balance between effective control of work and letting people get on with jobs in their own way.

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