Management training programs teach that effective delegation is not about telling someone what to do…it is empowering them to take on a particular task and giving them
the support and resources to accomplish it successfully. No manager needs to be
convinced that if they could share some of their responsibilities, their job
would be much easier. But few know what it takes to pass along these
responsibilities in an effective way.
- Know yourself. Take stock of what you are charged with accomplishing as a manager and evaluate which tasks you are good at and which would be better handled by a member of your team.
- Know your team. Take the list of those tasks you want to off-load and match them up with the skills and abilities of individual team members.
- Know the task. Communicate not only the specifics of the task but the purpose of the task so the overall goal is clear.
- Know the process. Establish how often you want updates, how progress will be measured and rewarded, and what success looks like.
