Delegation - how to get it right.

The old saying 'delegate 'til it hurts' means that we need to hand over the things we enjoy doing. Does that seem odd, or even a recipe for being unhappy at work? If so consider this:

Generally, we enjoy doing things we are good at and we become good at tasks by getting lots of practice and building our skills.

If we have been practising a task for a long time isn't it time we moved on to something new and untried, even if it seems harder and makes us uncomfortable?

The benefits of real delegation can include more time to think, an opportunity to take a more strategic part in the organisation, the satisfaction of seeing others in the team develop and the knowledge that decisions are being made closer to the real action.

All delegation involves some risk, at least at the outset. But our perception of the risk can be coloured by the knowledge that we could do the job quicker, better, etc.

Real risks can be reduced by careful planning and by showing people that you, as a leader, have faith in their ability.

The most common reason given for failure to delegate is that the leader is busy and it would take more time to explain what to do to someone else than to do it him/herself. This is of course true for any specific occasion but when related to a recurring task it is clearly false.

Repeated failure to delegate means that

• the leader's time will continue to be spent on tasks which the team ought to be undertaking
• able subordinates will move on to jobs where they are given real responsibility
• errors will increase as the leader becomes more and more over-stretched
• stress levels generally will rise due to frustration, pressure and the need to react to continual problems
• the leader will eventually be replaced

If you are wondering whether you should be delegating more ask yourself:-

• 'What do I spend my time on now?'
• 'Why do I do it? Is this just routine for me?'
• 'What value does my personal contribution add? - be objective!'
• 'Who else could do it?'
• 'Is there any important reason why I need to do this personally?'

Important reasons not to delegate include:-

• Confidential, security or policy matters restricted to your level
• Matters essential to your own leadership such as the creation of the vision
• Leading, managing and disciplining those who report direct to you.

Once you decide that you can appropriately delegate a task there are some essential points to bear in mind:-

• Always delegate to an individual never to a team
• Before you delegate assess who could do it and what training/development they need and put that in place
• Delegate the necessary authority with the responsibility, but remember that you cannot delegate the ultimate accountability - you will still carry the can
• Take time to coach the person to whom you are delegating
• Give appropriate support and agree the points at which you need progress reports
• Praise progress and success and don't take the credit for a good outcome!