Improve Productivity Through Delegation

DELEGATION AND FOLLOW-UP

REASONS FOR DELEGATION

The use of effective delegation can increase your productivity MANY times over.

An exercise I conduct with executives, directors and managers is a fifteen minutes analysis of their time. For one week, track your activities in 15-minute increments. It may seem tedious but the reward can be great. Most analyses reveal 20%-40% of their time available for delegation. An executive should focus on the key strategic and operation tasks that are prime for their skill set.

Delegation has risk but the long-term payoff is large.

Expectations for delegation include:

1.    30%-40% will be completed correctly and the way you instructed to be done

2.    30%-40% of the tasks will be done correctly but differently than you instructed or expected.

3.    10%-20% will only be done partially.

4.    10%-20% will not be done correctly

STEPS TO DELEGATION

1. Select people with skills to complete the task

2. Communicate expectations/results needed – explain why?

3. Indicate your belief in their ability to accomplish the task

4. Negotiate/agree on the task milestones and deadlines

5. Give needed instruction, authority, and resources to succeed

6. Provide opportunities for them to use own initiative and ideas

7. Set distinct follow-up dates to report progress

           Insist that they bring solutions to problems

8. Reward them appropriately for results

9. DO NOT DO THE JOB FOR THEM!!!!

If you do a task yourself – you can ensure the quality and outcome. Delegation has risk but can increase your productivity greatly.