Some of the people I have the privilege to coach are new managers who quickly realize that there are a variety of new skills they need to master. But even seasoned managers also sometimes struggle to be highly effective delegators.
Let’s start by asking ourselves why the skill of delegation is so important. Simply put, managers are expected to use other people to get far more done than the manager could do on her or his own. Instead of doing the tasks assigned to the department, the manager becomes a multiplier of human resources by getting other people to do the work.
Why are manager sometimes so reluctant to assign work to others? Often it is because the manager feels that nobody could do the job as good as he or she can. We have to get over that feeling because it not only inhibits our department’s productivity, it also demoralizes employees who get the feeling that the boss doesn’t have confidence in them. This can also occur when a boss is excessively prescriptive about exactly how a task should be accomplished or when a boss feels obliged to modify the work product even when the changes are cosmetic or otherwise inconsequential.
The effective delegator, on the other hand, won’t have to burn the midnight oil doing work that can be done by others while helping them to develop their skills and increase their self-esteem. Managers who are not good delegators are often overlooked for the next promotion because they fail to keep up with the demands of their bosses and cannot be assigned those additional high-profile tasks that often make careers.
Optimal delegation follows the SMARTER acronym. It is a quick checklist for proper delegation. Delegated tasks must be:
Specific
Measurable
Agreed
Realistic
Timebound
Ethical
Recorded
Here is a link to a simple but effective form you can download for insuring that you are following this guideline: http://www.businessballs.com/delegationsmarttaskform.pdf. Important for the manager is to remember that over time she or he will gradually step back from tasks which can be delegated as the staff members devote more time to those tasks.
And here is a chronology for making a delegation a reality:
Define the task
Confirm in your own mind that the task is suitable to be delegated. Does it meet the criteria for delegating?
Select the individual or team
What are your reasons for delegating to this person or team? What are they going to get out of it? What are you going to get out of it?
Assess ability and training needs
Is the other person or team of people capable of doing the task? Do they understand what needs to be done? If not, you can't delegate.
Explain the reasons
You must explain why the job or responsibility is being delegated. And why to that person or people? What is its importance and relevance? Where does it fit in the overall scheme of things?
State required results
What must be achieved? Clarify understanding by getting feedback from the other person. How will the task be measured? Make sure they know how you intend to decide that the job is being successfully done.
Consider resources required
Discuss and agree what is required to get the job done. Consider people, location, premises, equipment, money, materials, other related activities and services.
Agree deadlines
When must the job be finished? Or if an ongoing duty, when are the review dates? When are the reports due? And if the task is complex and has parts or stages, what are the priorities?
At this point you may need to confirm understanding with the other person of the previous points, getting ideas and interpretation. As well as showing you that the job can be done, this helps to reinforce commitment.
Methods of checking and controlling must be agreed with the other person. Failing to agree this in advance will cause this monitoring to seem like interference or lack of trust.
Support and communicate
Think about who else needs to know what's going on, and inform them. Involve the other person in considering this so they can see beyond the issue at hand. Do not leave the person to inform your own peers of their new responsibility. Warn the person about any awkward matters of politics or protocol. Inform your own boss if the task is important, and of sufficient profile.
Feedback on results
It is essential to let the person know how they are doing, and whether they have achieved their aims. If not, you must review with them why things did not go to plan, and deal with the problems. You must absorb the consequences of failure and pass on the credit for success
Credit: The above list has been taken from: https://www.businessballs.com/team-management/delegation-how-to/#steps
The degree of delegation can vary from one task to another, based on the complexity of the task and the readiness of those who will take on the task. Sometimes you may be very actively involved in every step of the work and in other circumstances you can delegate and step away. In any case, remember that you must delegate the authority needed to complete the job and the resources required.
I hope this helps you to be make the most of your delegation technique and through that a great manager.
