What is Delegation?
What is delegation? I’m sure you’ve heard the word ‘delegation’ bandied around the workplace. But have you ever asked (or thought to yourself) ‘what is delegation‘? and ‘why does it matter?’ Here’s a short answer
What is delegation? The short answer!
Delegation (in a people management context) happens when you give one of your staff members a task (or part of a task) to complete which, currently, you undertake
When delegation works successfully three things happen:
1. You are allowed the time and space to do the most important parts of the job really well. You do the work only you can do
2. Your staff members take charge of some work which develops their ability and potential
3. You make the most effective use of the resources available to you
Delegation is a key tool in the effective management of time, people and resources yet managers are often reluctant to delegate. Why? Because;
· some managers just don’t see the value of delegation
· some managers see some value but reckon that the costs – in terms of time needed to delegate – outweigh the benefits
Sound familiar? OK, then let me ask you a question (with thanks to Stephen Covey)
What is Delegation: A Key Question
‘What are the activities that you know would get you great results – if only you had time to do them?’
Would your answers be anything like these (from the managers I’ve recently been working with in a London PR firm):
What is Delegation: Identifying ‘High Value Activities’
ü Thinking / reflecting / challenging so driving improvements
ü Proactive – developing contacts so gaining more new business
ü Building better relationships with staff
ü Debriefing so identifying better working practices / learning
ü Focussed and forward looking activities so generating more value / revenue
ü Networking so generating more new business
ü Time for clients – socialising so building stronger relationships
ü More research
ü Sharing knowledge
ü Personal development
This list is what those managers called ‘High Value but Low Time Activities’. They could see that these activities would get them great results but they were struggling to find the time to undertake those activities. When we want to answer the question ‘what is delegation‘? we need to understand the ‘why’ of delegation…
Why Delegate – A Simple Principal
Here’s a simple principal. If you want to focus more on the types of activities that will get you great results – high value activities – you’ve just got to find yourself some extra time. A very effective way to gain yourself that time is by delegating some of the work you currently undertake. And, of course, delegation not only gains you time but also (done well) it improves employee performance and satisfaction
No we have answered ‘what is delegation’ we can ask – is it now time to delegate?
Would you like to learn – In just 10 minutes! – some new strategies for how to delegate?
‘I would recommend this book to all new managers who want to learn how to delegate and experienced managers who want a quick refresher’ (Nora K)
This book is for managers who want a proven step-by-step guide to effective delegation – and who only have 10 minutes to read it! Check it out on Amazon HERE