How to delegate in 3 Simple Steps
Have ever caught yourself thinking:
· I have too much to do and not enough time to do it?
· I am not getting things done: at all, on time, or well?
· I am the only one to do this work
Then it is likely time to start thinking about how to delegate some of the tasks you are doing.
Delegation is not giving up ownership or control, it is a way to get the best work done, allowing you time to focus on the most important strategic priorities. It also develops your employees’ abilities to meet your business needs now and, in the future, while capitalizing on their diverse strengths, talents and motivations.
Here are 3 simple steps to get you started:
Step 1: Make a list of what needs to be done.
Write down all the things you can think of which you feel need to be done. Then one by one, consider what impact or outcome does each of these have on your business. This is to help you get clear about the importance of the activity, along with the timing. Often, once you see it written down, you will see a pattern emerge that will show some repetitive tasks you should delegate, automate, or discard.
Next review each activity on your list and assign it to one of the 3D Buckets:
· Do it now – activities the need immediate attention and are aligned with your critical focus areas.
· Do it later – important activities that have a lower priority or requires other activities to be completed first.
· Discard – activities that are not aligned to your core focus and will not impact business outcomes.
*Tip: Look at the activities that perpetually show up on your “things to-do list”. Notice the items which never seem to get done, these are great examples of items you can easily discard as they are not affecting business outcomes.
Step 2: Assess WHO needs to do this.
Now that you understand the activities, priorities and outcomes needed, you can clearly see the skills and talents required and make decisions on WHO is best to do this work. This includes considering how this empowers your employees to become better and more proactive problem-solvers through the learning experience. Here are some examples to help you think this through:
Scheduling or administrative tasks – assign to an assistant or hire a virtual assistant
Creating reports for your analysis – assign this to the people with the best technical skills and expertise in the area (your accountant for P & l’ s). Have them automate the processes so it is available consistently
Updating your website – assign to someone in your marketing department with digital skills and expertise or outsource that talent
Handling a customer challenge – assign to the salesperson or their manager to empower them to resolve the situation while maintaining their customer relationship
Step 3: Meet with the WHO.
Schedule a meeting with the person WHO you want to delegate the activity to and let them know you want them to take over the responsibility of this task. This allows them to do some advance thinking about the activity and creates the foundation for a very productive discussion.
In the meeting, explain what needs to be done, what the expected outcome(s) are, the level of importance, timing and added resources they are authorized to use. This also needs to include a discussion on what they put through the 3D’s (Step 1). If something is going on their list, then something else must come off the list. Time and resources are not expandable so everyone needs to stay focused on what will best meet your business needs.
HOW the activity gets done is up to the person who you have delegated the activity to. They determine the course of action; if they have questions, you’ll be there to provide support, training or even brainstorm but all the doing is up to them. This may mean other people will need to be brought in as a new hire, an outsourced resource or include existing team members.
This is a new way of thinking that, in time, will become a habit creating higher productivity and strategic focus while developing talents and skills with your team. A powerful way to get the best work done and meet your business needs now and in the future.