Delegate to develop not dump

Delegation! It’s a core skill for everyone, particularly managers. It allows you to use others strengths and to grow other people. Unfortunately, delegation is one of the most misapplied tools in the working place. Delegation is not;

Dumping: Many see delegation as their chance to off-load assignments that are boring, difficult and low profile onto others. And the manner in which the work is passed on says as much. Dumping rarely gets the job done properly and that reflects poorly on you.

Micromanaging : You do this when you hand over the task but check in every minute to see if it’s being done. OK, if the person doing it is inexperienced. Otherwise you might be saying by your actions ‘I don’t trust you to do this right’. 

Crisis management: If you delegate only when your plate is overflowing or have other tasks overdue, you’re delegating crisis-style. Delegation is your opportunity to develop others and to free yourself to focus on only what you should.

To delegate

Think why you are delegating: The more critical the task the more cautious and clear you need to be about why you are delegating and the amount of freedom you give to the person you delegate to. Take care to decide whether a critical piece of work should be delegated at all and if so how to ensure it gets done well.

Who to delegate to: The more complicated the job the more experienced and reliable the person you delegate it to needs to be. If a particular person could benefit from working on the project, have them shadow you as you work on it. You could also divide up complex work and delegate parts of it with proper coordination.

Communicate expectations: As you delegate, explain what the task is, why you have chosen that individual to do it, what results you are looking for and when do you expect it?  Check that they understand what is required of them. Have them repeat to you their understanding of the task and reassure you that they feel able to do it.

Be available to coach. Clarify what help the person assigned will need. Be sure to explain your role in the assignment and your availability to coach and support them. Ask them to give you feedback at agreed intervals so that you know how they are getting on.

Spare the usual suspects: There’s a saying, ‘if you want sometime done give it to a busy person’. True; but delegating to the same people all the time can overburden them and create a perception of favouritism. Granted, if you need want something done urgently, that’s not a good time to give it to a learner; but if your deadlines aren’t too tight  you might just be able to afford to give it to the not so experienced.

Now take action : Look at your work plan for the week. What one thing can you delegate?