If you are one of the many business professionals today trying to do more in less time, you know that delegation is a must. Unfortunately, the majority of business people reveal that they dislike delegating. Either they believe the delegated task will “fall through the cracks” and never get done, or that it will get done but not to their liking. As such, they refuse to delegate anything to anyone unless it is absolutely necessary and even then they often opt to work longer hours rather than turn the task over to someone else.
The good news is that effective delegation follows a simple process that anyone can learn. And whether you are a manager overwhelmed with deadlines and meetings or a business owner trying to stay on time with multiple projects and travel schedules, the following three tips will enable you to delegate effectively and be more productive.
1. Always delegate in writing.
Often the delegation process breaks down because the person being delegated to is unclear on the details of the assignment. And rather than ask you for clarification and possibly appear incompetent, the person sits on the assignment hoping you will give some additional clues about what you really want. That is why you need to put every delegated task in writing.
2. Continuously train your subordinates to report back on time.
In your written instructions, be sure to tell people when you want them to report back to you, both with progress updates and the final product. Be specific. For example, rather than say, “Please give me regular updates on your progress,” say, “Please provide me a status update every Monday at 2 p.m. for the next two months.”
3. Use a reminder system to ensure proper follow up.
Never delegate an assignment and completely leave it up to the other person to make sure it gets done. Just as the person you delegate to needs to be accountable for reporting in, you need to be accountable for following up.
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