Common Mistakes in Delegation and Haw to Avoid Them
When managers do decide to delegate, there are often mistakes made that can negatively impact the employee’s ability to do the job. After reviewing the following common mistakes, determine how you can avoid making these errors.
- Display an attitude to the workforce of, “I can do it better myself.”
- Failure to keep employees informed about plans the supervisor has for the operation.
- Failure to require, receive, and/or utilize progress reports.
- Unwillingness to let employees supply their own ideas.
- Tendency to “dump projects.”
- Failure to give the employee credit for shouldering responsibility.
- Inattention to Project completion.
- Lack of respect for the employee’s ambitions.
Deciding What to Delegate
There are four basic steps in deciding what tasks you presently do that could be delegated.
- Analyze the Job.
- Categorize Your Activities.
- Estimate the Percentage of Time in Each Category.
- Decide What to Delegate and to Whom.
Planning to Delegate,
Responsibility to the Employee.
Now that you have determined what tasks to delegate to whom, take a few moments to plan for the delegation. To do this, you need to answer the following questions.
- What is the overall goal or purpose of the task ?
- What specific results do I expect ?
- What does the task entail ? What specific elements or skills are needed to complete the task successfully ?
- What resources are available to the employee to get the task accomplished ?
- What Check points or follow up agreements need to be made ?
Presenting the Delegation
After you have planned for the delegation, you should be clear on your expectations for getting the job done. These expectations must now be made clear to your employee. Keep in mind that your employee is likely to have some good ideas to offer, so plan on soliciting ideas from him or her as well. Below is a process for ensuring delegation success. Be sure to follow each of the seven steps.
- Explain Overall Goal and Purpose.
- Outline Expected Results.
- Describe Task.
- Discuss Resources.
- Confirm Understanding Get Commitment.
- Ask for Ideas.
- Establish Follow up Plan.
