Management Training: Delegation
Management Training: Delegation
Delegation is an important management skill.
Delegation is the act of entrusting a task to another person.
Many managers need training on how to delegate properly.
Why don't many managers delegate properly?
Because they don't know HOW to delegate; or because they are AFRAID to delegate; or BOTH.
So we have two things to discuss.
- Why it is important to delegate.
- How to delegate properly.
Why it is important to delegate
It is important to delegate because, the following is true: You can't do it all on your own.
Nobody has sufficient brains, energy, information, time or motivation to do personally everything that needs to be done. So, to get the job done properly, you must: Delegate the right task to the right person.
There are other reasons to delegate:
- Delegation frees you up for more valuable management activities.
- Delegation can be a good way to train others.
- Delegation is a good way to get the best performance out of the team, by matching the correct task to the correct person.
- Delegation is a way to balance the load across the whole team.
How to delegate properly
There are six parts to proper delegation.
Here is the list of six parts you need to memorise.
1. Does the person have sufficient skills and knowledge?
Are you delegating the task to a person who has sufficient skills and knowledge to make good the task?
If you are giving a task to a person who obviously does not have the relevant skills and knowledge you are sowing the seeds of failure for yourself, the other person and the organisation. Be careful to whom you give the task.
2. Does the person have the necessary material resources?
Are you sure that the person has the materials to do the task?
Here "resources" means: money, authority, technology and time.
If the person has the skills but does not have the authority to do the task, then again you are making a delegation-error.
3. Is the deadline you have given, reasonable or is it over optimistic?
Don't give people tasks that are linked to an over optimistic deadline.
Make sure the deadline is reasonable and not unreasonable. Discuss the deadline with the person doing the job and negotiate a reasonable deadline.
If you give an unreasonable deadline, you can expect the other person to fail.
4. State the delegated task as a general statement
Make the request for the delegated task, starting with the phrase, "Would you please..."
"Would you please, do some of my cold call marketing for me, whilst I am away?"
5. Describe the task numerically. Put numbers on the task
For example:
"Would you please, do some of my cold call marketing for me, whilst I am away? Would you please try to make 100 calls over the next three days and try to make at least four sales appointments with qualified prospects. "
Describe any unclear terms used: For example, in the above script you may have to explain what you mean by, "qualified prospects".
6. Agree a feedback method
How will you, the delegator, be able to track whether the person given the task is either;
- Making good progress.
- Not making good progress.
- Messing it up?
You need to agree a method by which progress can be monitored.
Here is the six step delegation method in brief
Please memorise the 6 steps and use them later today.
- Ensure the person does have sufficient skills and knowledge.
- Ensure the person does have the necessary material resources.
- Ensure the person does have a reasonable deadline, NOT an over optimistic deadline.
- State the delegated task as a general statement.
- Describe the task numerically. Put numbers on the task. Describe any unclear terms, such as "Qualified prospects".
- Agree a feedback method and check the level of progress made by the delegated person, as he she does the task.
Thank you.
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About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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