successful delegation

Delegation Releases Time
Many managers find themselves getting bogged down in routine operational tasks, which leave them no time for the vital managerial functions like long term planning and business development. Successful delegation involves giving someone else the responsibility to perform a task that is actually part of your own job. Delegation is not as straightforward as it might first appear. It always carries with it an element of risk, since you are assigning to someone else work for which you retain the ultimate responsibility. One of the most important reasons for delegation is that it will develop the skills of the people who work for you. People in your team will become more involved in helping to achieve the organizations objectives and goals. Increased responsibility is an important factor in improving morale and job satisfaction. It is noticeable that managers who delegate successfully usually experience lower absenteeism and staff turnover.

The False Negatives
It is often hard to accept that we need the help that successful delegation can deliver, and there are several possible reasons for this, as highlighted below:

Asking for help indicates a lack of ability
People may feel that any sign of weakness reduces their standing in the eyes of others, and themselves. This may hold them back from asking for help. In reality it is a sign of weakness to hide behind a pretext of coping and a sign of strength to recognize personal limitations.

Nobody else can be trusted to do the job properly
Thinking of oneself as indispensable can be a large boost to the ego. Unfortunately, it is rarely justified. Think in a little more detail about just what it is that nobody else can do as well as you, you will almost certainly discover that whilst your skills may be very valuable to the organization, they are almost certainly not indispensable. If, in some cases delegating means that certain tasks aren't done as well as you would do them, then this may represent a training opportunity.

Someone else will do a better job and take the credit
This indicates an individual who is jealous of the achievements of their subordinates. What does this say about their attitude to those who have to work for them, surely managers should be proud of the achievements of their staff. People who recognize this attitude as a personal trait should think carefully, as their problems may be more deep-seated than an inability to delegate.

Nobody else can actually help
This is a sign of poor leadership. If there is nobody there to help us when we need it, then it likely that we have done little to nurture and develop the skills of those beneath us.

Feel guilty about the act of delegating work
If you feel guilty about the very act of delegating, when the staff to whom you are delegating are not overloaded, then you should be more realistic. Your job is not to overload yourself but to manage your workload effectively and efficiently and that includes delegating, as and when required.

Be reluctant to relinquish any part of the work
If you enjoy your work so much that you are unwilling to let any of it go, then bear in mind that others are likely to enjoy taking on part of it. Are you keeping things for yourself that really ought to be shared with others? These are all spurious reasons and most managers who are reluctant to delegate feel that way because delegation reduces their direct control and relies on other people to perform effectively. They believe that the risks of delegation outweigh the potential rewards. There is no doubt that delegation does increase the risk of a task not being done properly. The answer is to control that risk, not to refuse to delegate.

The Art of Delegation
To reduce the risk a manager should select the tasks to be delegated carefully and select the right people to do them. You should be very careful when delegating tasks that have already been delegated - to you. The person delegating the task has already reduced their direct control and may be very reluctant to reduce it further. When delegating, tasks that should be considered first include: routine tasks where progress is measurable, tasks that can be planned clearly well in advance and tasks that one of your team has expressed a genuine interest in taking on. Don't delegate only unpleasant tasks. In order to bring out the best in your subordinates you should offer them a mix of tasks. Conversely, don't keep all the unpleasant tasks for yourself. It is important not to hold back all the jobs that you personally dislike, considering it unfair to give these to others. Make sure that you set aside sufficient time to actually specify delegated tasks and go through them with the relevant members of staff. Ensure that tasks are not delegated at the last minute, each member of staff have their own responsibilities into which they must find the time for the delegated work. Work delegated at the last minute may not be done properly, if at all.

Upward Delegation
Upward delegation is concerned with ensuring that you don't waste time on tasks and activities that should be referred to people higher up in the organization. If you need to refer work upwards make sure that you supply your own thoughts and recommendations. This action should save time and demonstrates that you have given the work due consideration before forwarding it. On some occasions work is likely to land on your desk that is clearly the responsibility of some other section or individual. Here the most efficient action is also to forward the work. This requires that you have a good understanding of who is responsible for doing what, within your area of the organization. If these duties are not clear you may need to seek clarification. When passing work sideways remember that a friendly note will make it far more palatable, especially where everyone is dealing with an already high workload and this will also help to ensure that it doesn't come straight back.

The Science of Delegation
Once you have identified someone that you think the task could be delegated to, you should establish whether or not their present workload would allow them to take it on. If so, you will need to specify the delegated task and agree the level of support that will be required. There follows a short description of each of the steps you should undertake when delegating:

Make the objectives clear
Managers often express their instructions in vague terms like handle, coordinate and liaise. For example, “Id like you to handle our relationship with them from now on”. This leaves too much room for misinterpretation and the criteria for a successful outcome have not been specified. In a recent survey, over 60% of staff claimed to be unclear about what was expected from them or how their performance was to be measured. When delegating, it is important, where possible, to specify the objectives clearly against measurable criteria.

Allow them to do the job their way
This includes the specific outcome that is required and the standard that is expected. People need to decide how to use the authority that has been delegated to them. Having stated the objective, your team member should be allowed to perform tasks in a way that suits their own personality and way of working.

Encourage them to take ownership of the task
If the team member encounters any problems, you will need to suggest some solutions and leave it to them to choose which to implement. You should always leave the choice and authority with the team member, if you take control back, it could make them feel resentful or inadequate.

Agree what level of support will be needed
You will need to be clear about what resources, in terms of your own time, will be needed. This means that you can plan your own involvement and will not sub-consciously view their requests for help and advice as an inconvenience. There are two common reasons why people reject responsibility for a task they have been delegated. Firstly, they may feel that they have been given a task that should not be their responsibility. Secondly they may believe that their manager is interfering in the details of the task, and not allowing them to use their initiative. Managers need to overcome both of these obstacles, by selling the benefit of doing the task and leaving the team member room to show initiative regarding how the task is to be done.

Effective Monitoring of Delegated Tasks
The responsibility for the delegated task is still ultimately yours and you will need to find unobtrusive ways of monitoring progress. It is important that you are not seen to be interfering or directing the delegated work. It is in the nature of most people to over-report the progress that they are making and to underestimate how much time and effort is required to finish a job. This is because people are often naturally optimistic and feel that they will be able to make up lost time.

Here is a typical over-reporting scenario:
At the start of week 1, the estimated 'percentage complete' of the activity is zero.
At the start of week 2, the natural optimism that is a characteristic of most people has resulted in a report of 'progress to date' being significantly ahead of actual progress.
At the start of week 3, as the work becomes more advanced a variety of factors may lead to the continued over-reporting of progress. Optimism may still be an issue as may the desire to maintain the rate of progress that was reported earlier. This problem is likely to be compounded if management are actively encouraging the reporting of rapid progress.
At the start of week 4, the individual, or team, may realize that their progress claims have seriously over-reached the actual work completed. However it can be very difficult for them to admit that such an exaggeration has been made, and even more difficult to report negative progress.
At the start of week 5, the reported progress falters significantly as the team have no room for manoeuvre - they cannot report that the task is complete or that negative progress has been made. Over-reporting often leads to a situation where tasks seem to be forever 90% complete.

Management may compound this problem if they are seen to react enthusiastically to reports of progress ahead of that planned whilst reacting negatively to any progress shortfalls. The best way to avoid over-reporting is to implement objective measures and minimize the degree of monitoring that is based on subjective feedback. It is worth spending some time deciding what tangible deliverables you expect from the task and using these as a regular measure of progress.

Giving Feedback
Feedback is a major factor in motivation and should be given periodically, while the work is carried out. Effective feedback is more than just letting people know that something has gone wrong. It also empowers people because it enables them to build on their successes and lets them know that their efforts are appreciated. This should improve their performance and enable them to keep their problems and concerns in perspective. You need to say what you really think in the most objective terms possible. If you show you recognize and value their efforts, people are far more likely to act on any suggestions that you make. Constructive feedback should also be as specific as possible, stating which aspects of the task were completed well or badly and, if possible, feedback should be given while there is still time to act on it. Most people are prepared to take on responsibility in exchange for recognition. It is important that people are thanked for their efforts and that those efforts are recognized, for example, in performance reviews. Recognition need not always be formal; it can take the form of names mentioned in memos or departmental meetings.

Analyzing Problems
Because you are still accountable for the tasks you delegate, you need to find out whether the agreed objectives have been met, to the agreed standard, within budget and on time. If you feel that there were any shortfalls in performance you should ask:

Was the objective adequately specified?
If there were significant omissions or unnecessary detail in certain areas, then this may be because the objective was not stated in sufficient detail.

Was the team member given enough support?
Did you schedule sufficient time to support the team member? Did you brief the team member on the importance of seeking advice as and when they needed it? You should remember that some people are reluctant to ask for help because they feel that this shows a lack of ability.

Was the team member given sufficient time?
There is a learning curve associated with every new activity and you should allow extra time to accommodate this.

Did the team member have the necessary skills?
It may be that you misjudged the existing abilities of the team member and this may point to a training requirement. These questions should together answer whether or not your expectations were realistic. Evaluating the outcome of delegation in this way will enable you to make better judgments in the future.

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