Know clearly what you want and why. “Why in the world do I need this just to get people to do their jobs? Besides, I don’t have time.” Consider that delegating tasks requires alignment to be effective. The best way to get people aligned is to be outrageously clear about what you want and why you want it. Where there is alignment there is engagement. It’s a “pay me now or pay me later” kind of thing.
Define how you measure it.This goes without saying. I’ll say it anyhow. If you don’t know exactly what you want and when, how do you know you’ve got it? People truly do appreciate a specific and measurable goal to know what is expected of them. This can take effort to nail down. Spend the time and nail it down. It will pay dividends.
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Communicate it clearly, oh yes, and often. “I told them what to do at the staff meeting! um last week.” Okay. If we were not thinking beings, efficiencies in communication might work. However, we are highly adaptable, constantly thinking, and continually measuring tasks, events, requests presented to us against our values and goals. To be effective, communicate what you want and why you want it so many times you start to get, “Oh, here we go again, yes, we know it.” This is a sure sign your point is sinking in. Over communicate.
Know your job and do it. Are you stuck in the minutia? Maybe doing your staff’s tasks. Uh oh. You are not doing your job. Your job: Identify the goals and the why clearly; understand the obstacles and remove them; and then communicate the goals and the progress continually. Otherwise, it might be you that’s in the wrong job.
Coach the person through it.If you do know more about the tasks than the other person, then jump in and coach the person through the activity. Let the team benefit from your knowledge. The coach doesn’t grab the ball from the players and play the game. The coach directs, aligns, adjusts. Unless of course the coach doesn’t want to be the leader.
The hard part of this simple process is the discipline to prepare and plan. You nail down the discipline and you’ve nailed delegation. Effective delegation takes practice and determination.
Are you up for it?
Good luck.
“Dominate your life with Focus, Decision and Execution.”
