Delegating Effectively and Successfully
10 June 2008
Read by 1872 persons
Is it possible for you to take care of...? This sentence often heralds something disastrous. Delegating is much more than just transferring a task to a colleague. It is an action by which you give a feasible mission (permanent or not) to a colleague and for which you retain responsibility.
There are three important reasons and one silly reason to delegate a task to a colleague:
1. You have little time to do everything yourself.
2. You want to give your colleagues a chance to increase their knowledge and experience.
3. You want to give your colleagues the opportunity to see how important certain tasks are.
You have no idea what to do for these tasks and that's why you pass them on to others (that's the silly reason!).
To make delegating a task a success; which means for the task to be completed correctly, as it will be a motivating (and perhaps even enriching) experience for your colleagues, you must respect a few rules.
Choose the right task for the right colleague
You can't delegate anything to anyone. If you want this task to be completed successfully, choose from among your colleagues the one who has the right talent and skills for it.
As far as possible, give a task to a colleague who is interested in it. People generally do what they like well and with a lot of commitment. And if you're lucky, it's always possible that a good idea (to take into account) will come out of it.
Satisfactory support
Everyone has to start sometime. If you give a task to a colleague who does not (yet) have the necessary knowledge or experience, it is essential to support them.
The first time, it will cost you a little time, but in the long run you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
It is not honest to assign a task to someone who does not know how to carry it out. For this reason, monitor its progress, so that everyone knows what to do and how.
Always evaluate the result
Very often this step is forgotten. Once the task is finished, it's in the past. But your colleague is left unsatisfied and will perform the next task with less enthusiasm... Always take the time (even just 5 minutes) to discuss the result.
Here too, don't give your colleagues the minimum motivation and recognition, but offer them a chance, tactfully, to correct their work approach if necessary.
You are responsible!
You can delegate one or more tasks, but you can never delegate responsibility. That remains with you! That's precisely why what precedes this point is so important.
If a mistake were to be made, it means that you are ultimately responsible, not your colleague.
Of course, your colleague must justify the mistake to you. It is up to you to judge him/her and find the causes of the mistake. It is possible that your colleague did not have all the information, the necessary knowledge, enough motivation…
These are things you can intervene on. This is a basis to integrate into your coaching style and your approach for the next time you want to delegate something.
Posted on May 23, 2008
references.be
There are three important reasons and one silly reason to delegate a task to a colleague:
1. You have little time to do everything yourself.
2. You want to give your colleagues a chance to increase their knowledge and experience.
3. You want to give your colleagues the opportunity to see how important certain tasks are.
You have no idea what to do for these tasks and that's why you pass them on to others (that's the silly reason!).
To make delegating a task a success; which means for the task to be completed correctly, as it will be a motivating (and perhaps even enriching) experience for your colleagues, you must respect a few rules.
Choose the right task for the right colleague
You can't delegate anything to anyone. If you want this task to be completed successfully, choose from among your colleagues the one who has the right talent and skills for it.
As far as possible, give a task to a colleague who is interested in it. People generally do what they like well and with a lot of commitment. And if you're lucky, it's always possible that a good idea (to take into account) will come out of it.
Satisfactory support
Everyone has to start sometime. If you give a task to a colleague who does not (yet) have the necessary knowledge or experience, it is essential to support them.
The first time, it will cost you a little time, but in the long run you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
It is not honest to assign a task to someone who does not know how to carry it out. For this reason, monitor its progress, so that everyone knows what to do and how.
Always evaluate the result
Very often this step is forgotten. Once the task is finished, it's in the past. But your colleague is left unsatisfied and will perform the next task with less enthusiasm... Always take the time (even just 5 minutes) to discuss the result.
Here too, don't give your colleagues the minimum motivation and recognition, but offer them a chance, tactfully, to correct their work approach if necessary.
You are responsible!
You can delegate one or more tasks, but you can never delegate responsibility. That remains with you! That's precisely why what precedes this point is so important.
If a mistake were to be made, it means that you are ultimately responsible, not your colleague.
Of course, your colleague must justify the mistake to you. It is up to you to judge him/her and find the causes of the mistake. It is possible that your colleague did not have all the information, the necessary knowledge, enough motivation…
These are things you can intervene on. This is a basis to integrate into your coaching style and your approach for the next time you want to delegate something.
Posted on May 23, 2008
references.be
