Team Building Tips

Knowing how to delegate is not an inherent ability. Many managers, supervisors and even senior executives resist handing over tasks and responsibilities because of a variety of operational as well as personal reasons. They may be anxious about surrendering the control they have over various duties, or they may be afraid that subordinates will take exception to delegation. It is critical to rise above these obstacles because delegating effectively can have significant and comprehensive benefit for all involved, especially the company as a whole.

Carol Ellis, in the book Management Skills for New Managers (AMACOM, 2005), states the value of successful delegation: "Managers who delegate effectively have direct reports who are more capable and enthusiastic because of the delegation experience. A good manager knows that delegation is the way to achieve results through others."

The American Management Association's Delegation Boot Camp teaches principles that allow supervisors to delegate the appropriate amount of authority and accountability to the right individuals. The seminar provides many constructive recommendations for effective delegation:

Why Delegate At All?

Gains (to the delegator):

Lessens personal workload, deadlines and pressure

Frees your own time and energy for tasks that will provide larger benefits

Makes people ready to handle work and decisions in your absence

Trains colleagues about your job so you are free to be promoted

Provides opportunity to assess persons' ability to handle more responsibility and authority

Gains (to the delegatees):

Cultivates skills and capabilities, providing experience in completing tasks and making decisions

Prepares employees for promotion; how to handle more authority and responsibility

More involvement increases their visibility and prestige within the enterprise

Helps people feel more important and responsible

Builds up enthusiasm and self-sufficiency

Gains (to the organization):

Improves decision making and efficiency via increased participation and experience

Increased skills, confidence and self-sufficiency builds a stronger, more flexible and more cooperative organization

Provides an environment of collaboration, confidence and personal responsibility

Displays the conviction people are important

Supports unproblematic succession planning and the ability to promote from inside the organization

What Things Should Be Delegated?

Tip - Delegated duties and tasks should be "SMART":

Specific

Measurable

Appropriate

Reachable

Timebound

Tasks that can be delegated:

Recurring decisions and duties that others can manage

Critical deadlines or priorities that you cannot handle, but others can

Special initiatives not essential to core operations or long-range projects

More detailed tasks on projects you are handling

Duties that will help others develop in areas important to their career

What Things Should Not Be Delegated?

Avoid delegation of:

Tasks private or personal in nature

Duties that involve unreasonable risk to the delegatee

Items that necessitate your personal expertise

Duties that require personal leadership or relationships to succeed

Items with any sort of legal restrictions

Examples of inappropriately delegated tasks:

Evaluations of job performance

Sensitive or confidential matters, especially those requiring disciplinary actions

Duties that were assigned expressly and entirely to you

Tasks outside of your area of responsibility, and which you are not authorized to delegate

Critical circumstances where people need your own leadership or direction

New projects that entail you personally setting an example or establishing standards

Stay away from delegating to people:

Who are already overworked

Who already have other high-priority duties

Who cannot complete the task within the required timeframe

Who lack the skills to successfully complete the task unless training will be provided as part of the task

Who have effectively and repeatedly finished similar tasks, if there are other people available      that could benefit from the experience

To improve your proficiency in delegating, the American Management Association offers a one-day Delegation Boot Camp that teaches effective delegation strategies that will make your employees more powerful and self-reliant, increase your and your staff's productivity, and help lower your personal level of stress.

Shari Lifland manages content for the American Management Association's website, an organization that offers supervisor training, PMP exam prep, leadership seminars, and many other forms of effective management training. Shari also edits several AMA e-Newsletters, and is associate editor of MWorld.