Delegation

A key area for improving time management is delegation. When you keep a time log, you may find that many activities, which are eating into your time, should not be done by you at all!

It is important that you ask three questions in relation to each of your activities.

  • What am I doing that need not be done at all?
  • Which of my activities could be done by somebody else as well, if not better?
  • What am I doing that wastes the time of others?

Why delegate?

Many managers see delegation as the answer to all their time management worries and almost as the ‘quick fix’ we are all seeking. It isn’t!!

Successful and effective delegation involves giving a task to someone else ensuring that they know what’s expected and when it’s expected. Delegation is not the dumping of an unwanted task on unsuspecting members of staff with no instruction!

The result of effective delegation should be a saving of your own time so you can reallocate that time for more developmental tasks as well as:

  • a saving of other people’s time
  • developing the people you manage
  • developing your competencies as a manager

See delegation as an investment of time now to save time later!

Delegation skills

  • Know the strengths and limitations of your people
  • Delegate responsibility not accountability
  • Delegate WHOLE tasks
  • Delegate in a fair way even if it means taking more time with individuals to develop skills
  • Always check that an individual knows what’s expected. Be sure to be clear and specific
  • Give as much responsibility as you can, making sure to take into consideration who, what, why and how
  • Ensure the necessary resources are available to do the task
  • Indicate that you are available for support whilst also allowing people get on with the task
  • Be prepared for the fact that the task may not be carried out as you would have done it
  • Give the person feedback on his/her work

Leave a Reply

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>

Menu

Recent articles

Articles RSS
Comments RSS

Members area

Authors of articles related to time management training are welcome to publish their posts on this website. Please register here and start write your articles today!

Article archives

Search

Time Management Training

Time Management training

This Time Management training course is designed to help participants develop their skills in time management to achieve more effective results in less time.

Delegation & Time Management training

This Delegation Time Management training course is designed to help people working under pressure in hectic work environments to manage their time proactively; to work smarter - not harder - and achieve better results and greater satisfaction.

Links