Now, to get down to the actual delegation, you need to consider six questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Who
Choosing the right person for a task requires careful assessment of experience and abilities. Different tasks require different skills. For example, you may need someone who is good at organizing schedules and budgets, or who is an enthusiastic and cooperative team player, or who can work well under tight deadlines, or who can take initiative. Consider the qualities of all your staff members and think about which individuals have the right skills, abilities, knowledge, and attitude to take on the work.
Not all of your employees will be able to take on the added work. They may lack the skills or knowledge about the work that would make it possible to do the job well. While delegation can be used to train and develop talented employees’ range and depth of skills, you need to be sure that you have the time to support the delegates until they can operate independently. Alternatively, to prepare for the next opportunity for delegation, you may want to offer training or coaching in areas where the individual has deficiencies (see Coaching and Counseling Employees).
What if you have someone capable and willing but who is too busy to do more? Reshuffle tasks among staff members, freeing the potential delegate to take on the task by giving some of the employee’s previous work to coworkers without full workloads.
Not all staff will agree to take on the added work. Some will say no because of a perceived lack of autonomy. Others will say no because they doubt their ability to do the work well. In both of these instances, you need to give honest reassurances. To reassure the former, address the employee more as partner than as subordinate, presenting the task as an opportunity to develop skills and experience. In the latter case, discuss the support, both formal and informal, that the individual can call on.
What if an employee refuses to take on the work and disagrees that the work fits within his or her job description? The employee offers to do the work, but only if you come up with a generous raise or an offer of a promotion. You might want to say yes, but don’t. At best, offer to mention the additional work in the employee’s performance assessment. If the employee isn’t satisfied, then the answer is the same: the year-end appraisal will reflect the person’s response.
What if the person still says no? Cut your losses and look for someone else.
What
What you decide to delegate to your employees can have a great deal of range. Typically, it is safe to delegate:
- Paperwork. Many administrative duties can be delegated to employees. This not only saves you time but also gives an employee a better under- standing of how the department runs.
- Routine. Tasks done on a regular basis can be shared or rotated among your employees, again giving them an opportunity to understand workflow better.
- Technical issues. Delegating responsibility for technical matters is a good way to recognize an employee’s aptitudes.
- Tasks that offer learning opportunities. Any assignment that provides your employees with the chance to learn new things, to acquire skills, or to exercise their creativity is a desirable assignment to delegate.
What shouldn’t you delegate to your employees?
- Personnel matters. Hiring, firing, mediating team conflicts, counseling, handling grievances, and discussing salary issues are all managerial responsibilities that should never be delegated to staff.
- Confidential matters. Anything that requires secrecy should not be delegated. Even secretarial and clerical tasks involving issues that cannot be shared—for instance, performance assessments—should be done by you.
- Crises. In a crisis situation, you won’t have time to explain what needs to be done. You are the only one capable of taking immediate action. Your level of authority may also be needed to resolve the situation.
- Tasks assigned to you. Anything that your own manager asks you to handle yourself should not be delegated to an employee, no matter how capable.
When
Knowing when to delegate added responsibility is just as important as knowing what and to whom to delegate.
If you want to use the new assignment as a reward for improved or outstanding work, make the assignment at the same time that you are praising the employee. If the employee is still under a lot of work pressure at that time, you can offer congratulations on earning the new assignment but assure the worker that the new task will not have to be started until the current project is completed or much further along.
Where
Where is closely related to when in thoughtful delegation.
For instance, you might announce that you are assigning one of your employees a high-visibility task. The announcement recognizes past work. Also, making the new responsibility public will ensure that the employee has the support of coworkers and other managers in getting the work done.
In other cases, a private meeting is best suited for delegating a new assignment or task to an employee. Perhaps you are assigning the employee the work on a trial basis, or that employee is unsure about assuming the new responsibility. Use your judgment with each situation.
Why
Besides the whys for delegation and empowerment mentioned above, here’s another reason for delegation: delegation will set a positive tone in your team. Employees know that you will be looking for assignments to give them that will allow them to develop their skills and help them increase their employability. Reporting to you, your employees will know that they will not stagnate in repetitive jobs, because you periodically give them opportunities to take on new challenges.
How
The way in which you delegate can have as much influence on whether the employee succeeds or fails as the employee’s own ability. Successful delegation requires the following five steps with each assignment to every employee:
- Give complete instructions. Do not assume that the employee already has the information to do the work. The employee must understand what results are expected, what the limits of authority are, why he or she was selected for the assignment, where and when the work is to be done, who is involved in the task, and any methods that are mandatory in completing the task.
- Grant sufficient authority. Make certain that your employee has the necessary clearance to obtain and use needed materials or equipment. Inform others that the employee is in charge of the job and has the authority to make decisions. Each time a job is delegated, the amount of authority your delegate has should be clearly identified.
- Maintain communications. Many managers mistakenly believe that they no longer need to be involved with a project once they have delegated authority or given an employee an assignment. They make the error of giving an employee a sink or swim test, rather than maintaining contact with the employee and being accessible to make sure no crises develop. Your coaching sessions are an ideal occasion to review progress on assignments, discuss problems, and offer criticism, which is Step #4.
- Make constructive criticism. Delegation is a learning experience for your employee, so mistakes will be made. When that happens, focus on the problem, not the person. Don’t say, “I can’t believe what you did!” Say instead, “Let’s look at what happened.” Employee mistakes should not be seen as reason for chastising but as a further opportunity for learning. Keep in mind that learning is a lifelong experience not only for you but also for your employees.
- Certainly, don’t take back an assignment once it is given. You may have to be involved more than you expected, but in the end, the employee should have a valuable learning experience. You may then want to reevaluate your own methods for choosing that individual for that particular assignment. However, keep in mind that selecting the right person is your problem, not your employee’s.
- Reward success. When one of your employees successfully completes an assignment, don’t forget to say thanks for a job well done and to congratulate the employee on a significant accomplishment. Make a concerted effort to praise the employee—don’t try to slip the compliment into another conversation: “By the way, that was a good job on the Jones deal.”