May 01, 2008
How to Delegate more effectively
What we are covering in this issue
What we are covering in this issue
One of the most powerful ways to work more effectively is being able to delegate in a successful manner.
Are you delegating all that you can? You may have many recurring duties or tasks that could be done by others. You may be able to treat delegation as a training opportunity for your employees, or to increase their interest in the job they are doing.
In this newsletter we will be looking at:
- the advantages of delegating effectively.
- reasons why people do not delegate.
- how you can delegate more effectively.
In addition, you can receive a personalized report of your time management skills by filling out our quick time management survey.
The advantages of being able to delegate successfully
There are a number of advantages to delegating successfully. For example,
- Delegation can increase your effectiveness. By delegating less important work, you will be able to free up your time to do important work, work which is important to your long-term goals.
- Delegation can increase the confidence and skills of the people around you. By delegating effectively to others, you allow the other person to learn and develop their skills. This in turn, will increase their confidence.
Why people fail to delegate successfully and how this reduces your effectiveness
There are several excuses why people do not delegate. However, for each of these excuses, there are valid explanations for why we should delegate more effectively.
It will take too much time to train the other person to do the job properly. While this may be true initially, by giving your employee small clearly defined tasks you will be able to develop the skills and empower the person you are delegating to. Click here to receive a step-by-step guide to successful delegation.
The person delegating feels that they will lose power or become dispensable if they delegate. This is a very common fear. However, if you think about it, you are delegating to free up your time to spend on more important tasks, tasks that move you towards your long-term career goals.
I have a high standard and don’t think others will do a good job. The step-by-step guide to delegating effectively shows you how to communicate your standards clearly and precisely.
How can you delegate more effectively
The step-by-step guide to effective delegation outlines a number of key areas to think about to successfully delegate and work more effectively. For example:
Should I delegate or not to delegate the task? Think about whether you like the task, is it a task that could be used as a training opportunity or is the task important to your goals.
Am I clear in what I want done? You need to be able to identify what skills and resources are need to do the task.
Who am I going to delegate to? Who has expressed a desire to learn or an interest in this area? What are the other people’s workloads? If you wanted the job done yesterday, then it is a good idea to delegate to somebody with experience and knowledge, however if there is time then this could be treated as a training opportunity for other staff.
Communicating the task clearly is important. If you are unable to clearly c ommunicate the task and the steps required, then it is likely that the person you are delegating to will be understand the task. Furthermore, it is important to communicate the task as a win/win situation for you are the employee.
Provide feedback and review the progress of task.
Summary
In this issue of Work Smarter, Not Harder! we have explained how some people find delegation a difficult thing to do.
However, if you find that you feel pressured by time, then mastering the art of delegation can improve not only your effective use of time, but also how delegation can develop the skills and confidence of your colleagues and employees.If you have any comments, then please do not hesitate to contact us at Effective Time Management Strategies.