Delegating Successfully

Teamwork

Delegation is an important skill to develop for first time supervisors.

Effective communication lies at the heart of delegation. When and what to delegate, to whom to delegate, and how to delegate are all important questions.

Four Steps of Successful Delegation

1

Plan

Determining what can be delegated is often complicated. Applying an 80 percent rule is recommended. No one can do the job as well as you (or so you think), so delegate when the job can be completed to 80 percent of your satisfaction. Urgent issues may demand your personal attention, but not everything is urgent.

2

Decide

This is either someone who can do the job now or someone you are willing to train so they ultimately can take responsibility. Don’t delegate to someone just because they happen to be close at hand. Decide whether the person needs development opportunities. Consider his/her abilities, experience, and degree of willingness.

3

Communicate

When communicating the task, leave no doubt as to what you expect to be achieved. Take time to clarify timelines and what success looks like.

4

Follow-up

Help the individual stay on track, overcome barriers, and meet deadlines. Resist the tendency to take back the responsibility or to let jobs be delegated back to you. For more long-range tasks, use your Outlook calendar or personal organizer to remind you when the task is due.