I know that quite a few of you have trouble when it comes to delegating your authority - you’re just afraid to do it. I came across a tidbit of information the other day that I thought might help you. It involved distinguishing the difference between two words: abdication and delegation.

As a manager it is your job to allocate work tasks, whether you keep them for yourself or give them to your team members. When it comes to allocating that work, you can either abdicate or delegate.

When a manager participates in abdication he is giving his team members work that he should really be keeping for himself. This is not good. It doesn’t benefit the team or the project and, in reality, only opens the team up for errors and problems later on down the line.

On the other hand, when a manager delegates work he is giving his team members specific projects that were deliberately designed for the team. The tasks he delegates are designed to help the team members learn about the task and do their jobs more effectively. Tasks that are delegated are meant to help employees grow.

When you look at those two terms it makes the task of delegating a little more palatable. Know the difference between the two words and if you ever find yourself questioning a task just stop and ask yourself - am I abdicating or delegating? The answers will make your task much easier!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

The delegation of authority is a difficult skill for most new managers. The first time I found myself preparing to delegate a task I had an overwhelming sense of worry. After all, up until that point I had taken responsibility for every single project I’d ever worked on. What if my team didn’t live up to my expectations?

As a manager, this is exactly the sort of thought process you need to break away from. As we’ve discussed before, you’ve chosen the members of your team for a reason - they’re all skilled enough to get the job done!

Now you simply have to learn HOW to delegate a task. There are three main components to consider:

1. Assigning the task;
2. Granting your employee the authority to complete the task; and
3. Creating accountability.

Assigning the task is all well and good, but if your employee doesn’t have the authority to access certain files or perform certain functions than you may as well have done the project yourself. When you make the assignment you must tell your employee exactly what he has the authority to do, especially if that means granting authority he doens’t necessarily have.

You also need to make sure your employee is accountable for the project once it’s been assigned. Make it clear that the task is not optional - it must be completed within a reasonable amount of time.

The three parts of the delegation process don’t happen automatically just because you decide to delegate a task. You must clearly communicate your ideas, visions, and goals to the employees you’re working with. Make sure you touch all of the bases and you’ll have a properly completed project exactly when you expect to receive it!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve your Management Skills”

I can see you right now. The thought of delegating your authority and assigning tasks to others leaves you white-knuckling your file folders in fear. Will the job be done correctly? Will the work be done on time? Stop the negative thought process right now. After all – if you really feel this way about delegating your authority you need to assess whether or not you have the right people on your team to start with.

Take a deep breath, relax, and prepare to alleviate part of your workload. Here are three things to keep in mind as you assign work to a team member or employee:

• It’s easier to complete a project if you’re working on, or at least know about, the entire project. Don’t give pieces of the project away unless you’re willing to tell your team member about the scope of the overall project. The lack of communication from not sharing this information may result in a project that doesn’t in with the rest of the puzzle.

• Do you have a vision for the outcome of the project you are giving away? Your vision and his vision may be different based on the description you give. Speak up and tell your employee what your expectations are for the project. If you don’t speak up, don’t complain about the end result not being as you expected.

• Be sure to clearly identify the timeframe within which you expect the project to be completed. Let your employee know how often you want status reports in order to ensure the project stays on track.

Delegating your authority by assigning projects doesn’t mean simply throwing a task on someone’s desk and letting the cards fall where they may. You have the responsibility to clearly communicate your expectations and work with your team member to achieve positive results.

Give it a try – I think you’ll like the results!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

As I’ve mentioned before, learning to practice delegation of authority is one of the most difficult tasks for new managers. Part of the problem is that they don’t understand the main principles of delegation. Today I’m going to outline what they are so that you can think about them and make an assessment about your personal situation.

1. How well do you know your team members, and how well do you know yourself? If you don’t know each other well enough, you may be hesitant to delegate your authority because you have a lack of trust or experience.

2. Have you assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each person on your team? Everyone has strong and weak points. Making a quick assessment will enable you to properly delegate work to the person most suited for each individual task.

3. Does your organisation have written job descriptions? If so, know what they are and determine if there are any legal limitations to whether or not you can go outside of those descriptions when assigning tasks.

4. Understand the requirements of each and every job. If you don’t understand the instructions you shouldn’t expect that anyone else will either.

5. Evaluate your communication skills. Are you constantly working with your employees to make sure they understand the task and to ensure they are making progress?

6. After the project is complete, look back on the process you used and determine if you should make any changes the next time you delegate a task.

You’re almost guaranteed success if you can learn to incorporate the above principles into your day to day delegation interactions. As always, there’s no reason for you to try to do everything on your own. Start the delegation process as soon as you can!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

As a manager, you’re in a unique position. Delegation of authority is often the most difficult concept for most new managers to grasp. I know because I had trouble with the idea myself. I was used to completing all of my tasks on my own and was overly cautious and unsure about passing work to my subordinates.

Part of the problem was that I had a rough time changing my mindset. My coworkers and peers were suddenly lower on the corporate totem pole than I was. I felt odd suddenly passing off work to those I had recently been working with as equals.

Managers and supervisors are not supposed to take on an overabundant amount of work. It is your job, officially, to practice the delegation of authority. You are responsible for making sure that your team members are highly trained so that you do not have to worry about the quality of the work they will return to you.

This doesn’t mean your team members won’t make mistakes. They will – as you have in the past and will inevitably do again in the future. On the bright side, they’ll learn from their mistakes and will not remain dependent on you for constant guidance and supervision.

I firmly believe that every management training program should include a focus on the delegation of authority. In the process of delegation, we learn how to reevaluate our own levels of accountability while sharing our responsibilities with others.

Delegation doesn’t mean that you assign a task to a subordinate and then wash your hands of it. You must carefully prepare the project to be assigned; plan exactly how you want it done; clearly communicate the directions and goals to your team members; check to make sure the project is completed correctly; and let your team know how much you appreciate their work.

That last part – appreciation – is essential. Your team needs to know how much you appreciate each and every task they accomplish on your behalf. Your thanks can range from simple kind words to small treats or even an extra bonus.

Evaluate the current state of your desk and determine which projects you’re holding on to because you’re afraid to give them to someone else. It’s time to let go of your insecurities - choose a team member and practice delegating your authority.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve Your Management Skills”