Delegation

Delegation serves two specific purposes; firstly to help balance the workload of the Effective Manager, and second to provide fresh challenges and growth opportunities for the direct report.

For delegation to be successful it is important that a responsibility is delegated and not a task. Delegating a task will often be poorly received as it will appear that the manager is simply getting rid of tasks they do not want to do. The delegating of responsibilities on the other hand will generally be received with pride and enthusiasm as an acknowledgment that the manager trusts the direct report and believes they are ready for more challenging or high profile responsibilities.

Effective delegation consists of a number of elements:

• Delegate the right responsibility
• Find the right person to take the responsibility
• Plan the details of the delegation. This includes defining the detail of the responsibility and the tasks associated with it, defining quality requirements and reporting milestones
• Work with the direct report to ensure that all performance criteria are understood
• Look for training and coaching opportunities to assist the report with the new responsibility