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Delegation
Delegation is the act of assigning or entrusting work or
duties to employees or others. Fear, insecurity, lack of
knowledge and skill in the area of delegation is one of
the major causes of work overload and bad time
management. One of the key skills in management is the
ability to delegate effectively.
"Mr Workaholic who refuses to
delegate."
Good delegators are confident,
trusting and very secure, knowing that the more
effective they are in delegating the more profitable the
return. Almost everyone working in your organisation
whether voluntary or salaried is a delegate.
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Decide |
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Educate and Train |
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Listen and Communicate |
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Encourage and Support |
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Governing Values |
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Authority and Accountability |
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Thank and Reward |
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Evaluate |
Decide
When effective managers comes into
office and make an appointment, they must first decide
upon all the areas they are accountable for. They then
decide what areas are to be delegated and who will be
the most capable individuals to undertake the
responsibilities. Areas that need the manager's personal
attention would not be delegated.
Educate and Train
Once the effective manager is
satisfied that the chosen individual is willing and able
to do the job, s/he will then educate the person on the
task at hand. All effective managers are aware that
failing to properly educate could lead to disaster.
Educating an individual involves clear, specific, direct
and concise instructions. If training is required the
manager or the person will see to it that identified
training needs are met.
Listen and Communicate
After deciding and educating the
individual effectively, the effective manager will then
ensure that this decision is communicated to everyone.
An effective manager will always listen to the views and
concerns of others before and after an appointment is
made.
Encourage and Support
From time to time the effective
manager will privately and publicly encourage and show
support to those appointed. This action helps to inspire
the individuals to continue on their chosen course and
imparts courage, builds confidence and fosters boldness.
A little encouragement can go a long way.
Governing Values
The effective manager will ensure
that the decisions and actions of the appointed delegate
falls in line with the governing values of his/her
organisation. A governing value is something that is of
such great worth that it must not be violated. Nature
also has governing values such as aerodynamics and the
law of gravity. Go to the top of any building, disobey
the law of aerodynamics and gravity and see what
happens! To violate these laws or even the governing
values of the organisation is to pay the ultimate price.
Authority and Accountability
When the effective manager delegates
s/he delegates the authority and the responsibility but
retains accountability. The delegate has the right or
power to act, command, enforce or determine on behalf of
the delegator. If anything goes wrong, the delegator, in
this case the manager, will always be accountable
because it was his/her decision to delegate. In other
words, the buck stops with the manager or the person who
is accountable.
Thank and Reward
The seed a person sows shall be their
reward. All effective managers thank and reward their
delegates in some or all of the following ways:
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Growth:
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Personal development |
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Responsibility:
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Authority & accountability |
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Advancement: |
Promotion |
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Status: |
Position or rank |
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Power:
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Control |
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Salary:
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Money |
When people are rewarded with growth,
responsibility, advancement, status, power or salary,
they are more motivated to unleash their unlimited
potential. Salary is a great motivator but it is not
always at the top of the list.
Evaluate
The effective manager will not just
appoint a responsible individual and leave such one to
get on with the job, but will do a formal and or
informal evaluation from time to time. Failing to
evaluate could result in disaster. A satisfying element
of the manager's role is knowing that others can do the
job as well as s/he can and in some cases even better!
Delegate or "stagnate", to you and your organisation's
detriment!
"Delegate or stagnate."
Remember this very important point,
you are the manager
of your home or section of work to which you are
accountable. |
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