DELEGATION IS NOW ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS


Some managers don't manage.

Instead, they try to do everything themselves. This never works, because most supervisors have too many tasks and too little time.

Phone calls, emails, meetings, business lunches and all the unforeseen events that require their immediate attention rob them of the time they need to perform their actual management duties, such as planning and controlling activities, as well as organizing employees and directing their efforts to primary tasks.

These tasks are, of course, why they are on the job.

How can they get through their busy day-to-day agenda so they can manage proactively?

To business experts Richard A. Luecke and Perry McIntosh the solution is clear: They must learn to delegate. Delegation is a basic managerial skill, such as planning or budgeting.

In fact, it is an essential "managerial competency". Besides protecting managers' time, delegation helps employees upgrade their skills and competencies. People learn best through executing tasks, and delegation gives them opportunities to build and showcase their abilities.

Luecke and McIntosh offer a simple, straightforward fivestep plan you can use to delegate job assignments. Follow it to free your time for management, to develop your staffers' skills and to build your department's broader competency.

First, determine which tasks, processes, decisions and projects to delegate. The authors advise starting with tasks that do not require your expertise and then reassigning some of your specialist chores to others who share your skills and who can take over the entire job. To maintain quality when you delegate, make sure the person you select can perform the job well.

Do not allocate certain pivotal tasks, such as hiring new employees, to other members of your team. Having your subordinates meet job candidates is fine, but deciding whether people join your team is up to you and your boss. Do not assign direct reports to handle their colleagues' performance reviews.

That's inappropriate and is sure to cause trouble. Similarly, never delegate "firing and disciplinary actions". If your boss gives you a job, don't entrust it to someone else unless the boss suggests it. Keep doing some of your team's "dirty jobs", because reassigning all of them will anger your subordinates.

Second, identify the right person for each job you reassign. Seek staffers who can devote their full attention to your tasks. Choose reliable people who have the right background to start immediately and seamlessly. Don't give a task to someone who lacks the expertise to do it well. Provide training if necessary. According to the authors, your main goal is to pass along a job to someone who will do it efficiently and professionally.

However, a second goal should be to help your employees develop their abilities through doing jobs you delegate.

Third, delegate. Ensure that the person who takes on the assignment understands what you want to achieve, knows how to do the job, is enthusiastic about the project and accepts full responsibility. Provide the "authority and resources" the staffer will need, plus a comprehensive overview of the assignment, so he or she understands how it fits into the big picture and into the company's goals.

Fourth, monitor progress and provide feedback. Touch base periodically according to an agreed-upon checkpoint schedule. Don't try to take over the job temporarily through micromanagement.

Offer specific, timely feedback on behaviour the staffer can modify.

Fifth, and finally, evaluate performance objectively. If your staffer did a good job, you have the opportunity to provide a reward, if not monetarily or with a promotion, then at least with welcome recognition and praise. Since people learn from their mistakes, careful evaluation of a poorly executed job may eliminate future errors.

The authors outline their five-step approach to delegation in clear language backed by numerous helpful examples. Additionally, they detail typical delegation problems and supply practical solutions.