10 WAYS TO DELEGATE MORE
EFFECTIVELY
Delegation can be a tricky business. You don't want to simply "dump"
distasteful work on someone else -- but you need to make sure the job
gets done, and it doesn't need to be done by you. And delegating can
become a particularly sensitive issues when it is latera; -- asking a
fellow colleague, freelance consultant, colleague, family member, or
friend for help. But by approaching delegation in the right way -- with
a formalized agreement about your goals and how the project should
proceed -- you can make the experience enjoyable for both parties:
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
When delegating a job to someone else, keep in mind the person's
talents, area of specialization, and schedule. Make sure you are
delegating to someone who can successfully complete the task at hand.
Handing a job off to someone who is missing a key ingredient -- time,
skills, resources, experience, or willingness -- will only frustrate
you both.
THE LOWEST COMMON
DENOMINATOR
The quickest way to turn someone off to a delegated job is to give that
person an assignment that is substantially below his or her skill
level. Delegate a project to the most junior person who is capable of
successfully completing the job. Besides, it's silly to waste $30 an
hour on an administrative assistant when a $10 an hour temp could
complete the work.
USE DELEGATION AS A TOOL
Delegate interesting projects in addition to drudgery. You will wear
your team members out if you only give them the "dregs." You want
delegation to serve as an opportunity to help the other person grow and
expand their skills, as well as a way for you to get menial chores
done. And if you challenge your delegees today, you'll be able to give
them more difficult assignments in the future (without worrying that
they will be overburdened!)
KEEP A DELEGATION LOG
There's nothing more frustrating than handing a job over to someone and
forgetting that you delegated it, or WHEN you delegated it, or when it
was DUE BACK to you. Keep track of what projects you give to whom. You
don't want to wake up at 3AM thinking, "Oh no -- did I ask my web
master to update my newsletter yet, or not?" We all suffer from
mid-life Alzheimer's at times, so write it down!
TELL THEM WHEN YOU WANT IT
Don't ever hand a job off with the instructions, "I need this back when
you finish." Give your delegees a firm deadline along with the
assignment. Although the ultimate responsibility for completion of the
job lies with you, you don't want to waste all of your time chasing
after someone saying, "When will you be done?"
BREAK IT INTO CHUNKS
Since the ultimate responsibility for completing a delegated project
does lie with you, it's not always the best policy to wait until two
days before the deadline to see what kind of progress your assistant is
making. Set milestones or sub-deadlines for completing sections of the
project. When you break a job up into smaller "bite-sized" pieces, it's
much easier for the delegee to handle. Also, you have set up a series
of natural follow-up points throughout the project. Instead of showing
up the day of the final deadline, you can check in with your team
member at each sub-deadline for a status report.
HAVE THEM CHECK IN
You should not have to guess how far along a delegee is in a project,
at any point in the process. Ask your people REPORT their progress at
regular intervals -- these milestones are the perfect excuse for a
meeting or written report. This allows you to discuss any problems the
person has run into, any additional resources he/she might need, and
make any adjustments to your project schedule.
AGREE UPON A GOAL
Similarly, you shouldn't have to guess what kind of a finished product
your assistant will hand you when the final deadline comes around.
Communicate what end result you expect before you delegate the job.
That might seem obvious, but few people do this thoroughly enough. Give
your helpers enough to go on so they don't have to keep coming back and
asking you for more information every step of the way. The whole point
behind delegation is to save you time -- and that doesn't happen if
you're always on the phone or in meetings clarifying requests.
LET THEM LOOSE
Once you feel the person has a firm grasp on the expected end result,
allow your delegee enough freedom to decide HOW to accomplish the job.
Delegation is not about "micro-managing" -- it's about letting go of a
job you didn't need to do in the first place. And as long as it gets
done, who cares how it was accomplished? As long as you don't get
arrested, you're fine!
A PAT ON THE BACK
Give credit where credit is due! No one likes to work hard on a job for
someone else and receive none of the glory. And your delegees will work
harder for you in the long run if you give them a bit of praise.
**************************************************************************************
Ramona Creel is the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com
-- offering "a world of organizing solutions!"
Visit OnlineOrganizing.com
for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau -- and even get a
referral for a Professional Organizer near you. And if you are
interested in becoming a Professional Organizer, we have all the tools
you need to succeed. (Copyright 2001, Ramona Creel)
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