Steps in Practicing the Skill

Steps in Practicing the Skill

A number of actions differentiate the effective delegator from the ineffective delegator. The following five behaviors are used by effective delegators.

1. Clarify the assignment. Determine what is to be delegated and to whom. You need to identify the person who’s most capable of doing the task and then determine whether he or she has the time and motivation to do the task. If you have a willing and able employee, it’s your responsibility to provide clear information on what is being delegated, the results you expect, and any time or performance expectations you may have. Unless there’s an overriding need to adhere to specific methods, you should delegate only the results expected. Get agreement on what is to be done and the results expected, but let the employee decide the best way to complete the task.

2. Specify the employee’s range of discretion. Every situation of delegation comes with constraints. Although you’re delegating to an employee the authority to perform some task or tasks, you’re not delegating unlimited authority. You are delegating authority to act on certain issues within certain parameters. You need to specify what those parameters are so that employees know, without any doubt, the range of their discretion.

3. Allow the employee to participate. One of the best ways to decide how much authority will be necessary to accomplish a task is to allow the employee who will be held accountable for that task to participate in that decision. Be aware, however, that allowing employees to participate can present its own set of potential problems as a result of employees’ self-interests and biases in evaluating their own abilities.

4. Inform others that delegation has occurred. Delegation shouldn’t take place behind the scenes. Not only do the manager and employee need to know specifically what has been delegated and how much authority has been given, but so does anyone else who’s likely to be affected by the employee’s...