Is your workload unmanageable? Is time management a problem? Learn to delegate and create more time for your important tasks and empower your team to new levels!
Delegation is a skill worth building. It has many positive spin offs. Your workload will become more manageable, your staff will work with you to accomplish departmental objectives and, in some cases, you’ll give a professional development opportunity to junior staff by relinquishing tasks that will challenge them.
Some leaders find it very difficult to relinquish control especially if it is something that directly affects customer relations or the bottom line. If you find though that you consistently work longer hours than your support staff and can’t keep on top of your prime responsibilities it is time to look at how much (or how little) you are delegating.
To determine if a task can be delegated, consider the following questions:
Is this a task that I know one of my team members excels at?
Is this task something that I can easily hand off without much direction?
Do I need someone else on staff to be capable of this task (succession planning)?
Is this something that I can delegate without having to micromanage or control the process?
Remember that you may have to spend some time training and coaching the person so it is a matter of short term pain (time and energy) for long term gain. Set aside a day a week for coaching or at least a chunk of time weekly for coaching if delegation is an issue for you. You’ll be happy you did in a couple of months when your workload is more manageable and you are on top of projects.
If you have comments or suggestions on this article, pleasestart a discussion
The copyright of the article How to Delegate Work in Training/Professional Development is owned by Joni Rose. Permission to republish How to Delegate Work in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Nov 15, 2006 8:51 AM
Tracy Rose :
Interesting topic. This is something I have always had trouble doing. I have a hard time asking others for help when I can do it myself, but that often leads to me being overworked and overwhelmed.
These are good questions to ask myself the next time I am in that situation. Thanks!
Nov 15, 2006 8:54 PM
Joni Rose :
I am glad you found this article helpful. Many leaders suffer from delegationitis which causes swollen workloads and fevers caused by overwhelm.
Next time you'll understand that asking for help is showing respect for you and your team. Believing in them as much as you believe in yourself - is a powerful motivator and team building exercise.
Good for you that you recognize this now!
Nov 16, 2006 12:00 AM
Mike Gerrard :
I'm now self-employed so can't delegate work to anybody. But my last job was working for a literary agent, and she was someone who found it very hard to delegate work. I must say that she was one of the best people I ever worked for. The old saying about 'if you want a job doing, give it to a busy person' shows how hard it is to get the balance right. I'd be very bad at delegating work because I know if I do the job myself, it gets done, on time, and done properly!
Nov 16, 2006 8:48 PM
Joni Rose :
Certainly there are people who can manage with the "do it myself" approach, but just imagine what she could accomplish if she delegated more. I am glad to hear you experienced working with a great boss. That in itself is a treasure that some never experience. Lucky you!
