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You
probably know that delegating work to
others is a great and appropriate way
to save time, prioritize your own agenda
and to focus on what you “should”
be doing.
However,
knowing when and how to delegate well
is the key to being successful at it.
First, what does it mean to delegate?
Del-e-gate:
to assign responsibility or authority
Next,
are you successful at delegating tasks
in your life and work? If not, what gets
in the way of successful delegation? Here
are a few common factors:
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You have not taken the time to analyze
all you are doing and therefore do not
have the awareness of what you could delegate.
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You are a control freak and feel the need
to do it all yourself.
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You do not have the confidence that anyone
else could do it well enough.
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You enjoy doing it and don't want to give
it up.
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You may feel that you will not be able
to justify the time you have opened up
for yourself.
If you are having trouble getting past
some of these, engage someone to help
you.
Following
are 8 keys to successful delegation.
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Take the time to look at everything you
are doing. Make a list not only of the
big projects, but break down the small
details, for example, phone calls that
need to be made, research to be done,
whatever it is. Indicate with check marks
or other kinds of notes a)which of those
could be done by someone else, b) what
you'd like to get rid of if you could
even if the how is not obvious, c) the
things you really must or want to keep
for yourself.
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Identify the likeliest person to do those
tasks you want to delegate. Ascertain
that they are capable and are not themselves
on overload.
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Even if you are their boss, engage them
politely by asking if they are ok with
it. Do they have the time and resources
to do it? If they are too burdened at
the moment, when will they be in a position
to take it on? When you show respect for
people they will be inclined to help out.
Of course, as boss you have the right
to insist, but you'd be wise to do it
with respect and appreciation.
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Make sure the person you choose is capable
to do the task successfully. If not, you
are setting someone up to fail and yourself
to be even more stressed.
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Communication is key. Many people fall
short here. You need to have a clear picture
of the outcome you want and communicate
it clearly to the person who will do it.
Often we take for granted that the other
person knows, when in fact, because they
are creative in their own way, they may
produce a very different outcome than
the one you envision.
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Think through the degree of difficulty
and if it is not simple, make a plan as
step #1. Explain to the person who will
be doing the task why it needs to be done
a certain way by a certain time. Build
in check-in points and a timeline to meet
deadlines.
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Overall, keep these points in mind:
Assess each task regarding the appropriateness
to delegate.
Who would be the best person to ask to
do it?
Make sure you are very clear in communicating
how and what you want.
What measures will you use regarding deadlines
and quality of work?
Remember to express respect and appreciation
for the person helping you.
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Now that you've relinquished the task,
use the time wisely, prioritize everything
you are doing and don't forget to schedule
time for non-work on your priority list.
The benefits of proper delegation go beyond
getting rid of some of your burdens and
opening up your time. The exercise of
thinking through and choosing what and
to whom, forces you to focus on important
details such as: what are your true strengths,
interests, passions and skills. What are
those of the others who surround you?
Delegating
well requires you to better your communication
skills of articulating clearly, listening
and showing appreciation.
Before
you rush into filling the free time with
other tasks, take some time to look inside
and ask yourself the important questions.
What
is the balance between things you enjoy
and things you do not in your daily schedule?
What
additional changes can you make now or
in the future to increase the positives
for you and decrease the negatives?
You
may not be able to make gigantic changes
quickly, but baby steps will also get
you where you want to go.
I
welcome your comments and experiences.
Dorene
Lehavi, Ph.D.
:::
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