Delegate More Effectively

Don’t look for perfection. 

 Your objective is to get the job done, not create a masterpiece. Establish a standard of quality and a fair time frame for reaching it. Once you establish the expectations, let your staff decide how to carry out the project.

Provide complete job instructions. 

Make sure your employee has all the information needed to complete the job. Confirm that he/she understands–and accept–the requirements.

Stop believing you’re the only one who can do the job properly. 

Just because an employee does things differently doesn’t mean he or she won’t do the job right or as well. If you establish expectations of the goal and the standards to follow, then methodology shouldn’t be an issue. An important and often overlooked part of delegation is that it helps develop employees for advancement and creates a better work environment.

Focus on instruction skills. 

Delegating doesn’t mean passing off work you don’t enjoy, but letting your employees stretch their skills and judgment. As you hand over greater responsibility, it’s important to understand that learning new skills sometimes includes making mistakes. Don’t punish employees who make a good-faith effort to do things right.

Check on progress. 

Let the employee do the work, but check in intermittently on progress. Don’t look over employees’ shoulders or watch their every move. When you outline the expectations, in the beginning, make sure you build in checkpoints for follow-up.

Say thank you to the people who have accepted the responsibility

Make sure employees know that their efforts are recognized and appreciated

Delegating in Advance

Ensure you provide enough support and back up to each delegate

It is inappropriate to treat delegation as singly a way for a harassed manager to shed excessive work during busy periods. As the start date of a project for which you are responsible drawers near, plan and make any delegated appointments as early as possible. This will give you sufficient time to prepare a detailed brief and will allow you and your delegate to discuss task requirements fully and arrange any training the may be needed.

Be supportive of all delegates whenever any mistakes are made.

To delegate effectively, you need to define the tasks and also have a good understanding of a proposed delegate’s abilities. So for each task in your planned delegation. Work out a clear definition, including the skills required and the variety of responsibilities to be delegated.