Effective Delegation
“I told Sue I wanted this typed in rough form and it was given back to me single-spaced instead of double. What’s wrong with Sue?"
Does this sound familiar? Have you ever delegated a task only to have it returned differently than you expected? I have. Too many times.
What
I have learned, regretfully, is that the reason many of my tasks are returned
incorrectly is that I did not give good instructions. Either they were incomplete or misleading. I assumed the delegatee knew what I meant,
but I hadn’t confirmed the understanding.
Sometimes
staff members are timid about admitting when something is unclear or s/he feels
s/he knows what to do. The following
are guidelines I’ve developed from my own experience, as well as from others
who have learned how to delegate the hard way:
1.
Don’t
fall into the "I can do it quicker and better" syndrome. If you do, you are not managing. You will stay stuck in a rut and keep your
subordinates in a rut, too.
2.
Clarify
the task in your own mind. Visualize
what the finished task/product would look like. Many times supervisors are disappointed with the work their
subordinates return to them because the supervisors themselves weren’t clear on
what they wanted.
3.
At
first, write an outline or sketch what you want. You may feel silly, but you’ll find it helps clarify your
wants. Soon you’ll be verbally
expressing what you want more clearly.
4.
Do
the task in your mind -- walk through the various steps. This way you’ll know to point out specific
details that your delegatee may not know about.
5.
Enlist
your delegatee’s help. Tell her you’re
improving your skills in giving instructions and would like her assistance.
6.
Have
him write out the instructions you give verbally. Ask him to repeat what he heard so you can make sure you’re being
clear. Don’t just ask him to repeat
what you’ve said -- you’ll sound condescending.
7.
Don’t
be a perfectionist. If you get back
work that is different than you expected, discuss the problem so you can fix
the misunderstanding. If the work is
acceptable, say, "This is fine for this time; however, next time I would
like it done this way." Having
someone continually redoing acceptable work so that it’s perfect is
demoralizing, frustrating, and a waste of time.
8.
Write
out instructions if the delegatee is: not available for discussion, has a
language barrier, or forgets easily.
9.
Put
a due date and time on your requests.
If it is not possible to complete the task within the deadline, the
delegatee must get back to you and re-negotiate the time or have you give the
task to another person.
10.
Log
tasks on an Assignment Tracking Sheet listing what was assigned and when it is
due. Keep copies of instructions/due
dates so things will not fall through the cracks.
11.
Follow-up. Agree on check-in points. If your delegatee was given a week to
complete a task, check in with her in three days. Ask: "How are you doing on X?" rather than "Have you finished
yet?" The latter puts her on the
defensive and raises pressure. You can
catch potential snags in the task by checking early.
12.
Acknowledge
good jobs, no matter how small. Work on
improving bad ones. Ask, "How can
we make sure this is done on time next time?" Form a team with your delegatee.
13.
Allow
him to use his own method after you trust the delegatee. You should care about the results, not the
method. If you do this, your people
will be more productive and creative
and have more self-respect.
If you have the patience to follow these guidelines, your staff member will feel better about him/herself, you will get more accomplished, and reduce your chances of a heart attack. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the effort.