Delegation can be a tricky business. You don't want to simply "dump"
distasteful work on someone else -- but you need to make sure the
job gets done, and it doesn't need to be done by you. And delegating
can become a particularly sensitive issues when it is latera; --
asking a fellow colleague, freelance consultant, colleague, family
member, or friend for help. But by approaching delegation in the
right way -- with a formalized agreement about your goals and how
the project should proceed -- you can make the experience enjoyable
for both parties:
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
When delegating a job to someone else, keep in mind the person's
talents, area of specialization, and schedule. Make sure you are
delegating to someone who can successfully complete the task at
hand. Handing a job off to someone who is missing a key ingredient
-- time, skills, resources, experience, or willingness -- will only
frustrate you both.
THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR
The quickest way to turn someone off to a delegated job is to give
that person an assignment that is substantially below his or her
skill level. Delegate a project to the most junior person who is
capable of successfully completing the job. Besides, it's silly
to waste $30 an hour on an administrative assistant when a $10 an
hour temp could complete the work.
USE DELEGATION AS A TOOL
Delegate interesting projects in addition to drudgery. You will
wear your team members out if you only give them the "dregs." You
want delegation to serve as an opportunity to help the other person
grow and expand their skills, as well as a way for you to get menial
chores done. And if you challenge your delegees today, you'll be
able to give them more difficult assignments in the future (without
worrying that they will be overburdened!)
KEEP A DELEGATION LOG There's nothing more frustrating than handing a job over
to someone and forgetting that you delegated it, or WHEN you delegated
it, or when it was DUE BACK to you. Keep track of what projects
you give to whom. You don't want to wake up at 3AM thinking, "Oh
no -- did I ask my web master to update my newsletter yet, or not?"
We all suffer from mid-life Alzheimer's at times, so write it down!
TELL THEM WHEN YOU WANT IT
Don't ever hand a job off with the instructions, "I need this back
when you finish." Give your delegees a firm deadline along with
the assignment. Although the ultimate responsibility for completion
of the job lies with you, you don't want to waste all of your time
chasing after someone saying, "When will you be done?"
BREAK IT INTO CHUNKS
Since the ultimate responsibility for completing a delegated project
does lie with you, it's not always the best policy to wait until
two days before the deadline to see what kind of progress your assistant
is making. Set milestones or sub-deadlines for completing sections
of the project. When you break a job up into smaller "bite-sized"
pieces, it's much easier for the delegee to handle. Also, you have
set up a series of natural follow-up points throughout the project.
Instead of showing up the day of the final deadline, you can check
in with your team member at each sub-deadline for a status report.
HAVE THEM CHECK IN
You should not have to guess how far along a delegee is in a project,
at any point in the process. Ask your people REPORT their progress
at regular intervals -- these milestones are the perfect excuse
for a meeting or written report. This allows you to discuss any
problems the person has run into, any additional resources he/she
might need, and make any adjustments to your project schedule.
AGREE UPON A GOAL
Similarly, you shouldn't have to guess what kind of a finished product
your assistant will hand you when the final deadline comes around.
Communicate what end result you expect before you delegate the job.
That might seem obvious, but few people do this thoroughly enough.
Give your helpers enough to go on so they don't have to keep coming
back and asking you for more information every step of the way.
The whole point behind delegation is to save you time -- and that
doesn't happen if you're always on the phone or in meetings clarifying
requests.
LET THEM LOOSE
Once you feel the person has a firm grasp on the expected end result,
allow your delegee enough freedom to decide HOW to accomplish the
job. Delegation is not about "micro-managing" -- it's about letting
go of a job you didn't need to do in the first place. And as long
as it gets done, who cares how it was accomplished? As long as you
don't get arrested, you're fine!
A PAT ON THE BACK
Give credit where credit is due! No one likes to work hard on a
job for someone else and receive none of the glory. And your delegees
will work harder for you in the long run if you give them a bit
of praise.
Ramona
Creel is the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com
--
offering "a world of organizing solutions!"
Visit OnlineOrganizing.com
for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau -- and even
get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you. And if you
are interested in becoming a Professional Organizer, we have all
the tools you need to succeed. (Copyright 2000, Ramona Creel)
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