The most successful delegators have regular milestones meetings
Ensure people have the resources and authority they need to successfully accomplish the task
Successful Delegation is one of the most powerful leadership and coaching tools of the high performance leader. It is far more than a way of getting people to do the things you don't like or don't have the time to get to.
For Successful Delegation Follow these Six Steps
Step One: Select The Task
When determining the tasks and activities that could be handed across to others, you can choose to delegate either one-off tasks/projects or recurring tasks/projects. Some ideas are, tasks that -
You used to do before you assumed your new role (comfort zone)
People in your team have more experience with
Aren't in your core competency
Provide valuable experience and will develop bench-strength in your team
Will engage and energize your team members
You dislike and that someone else in your team loves
Step Two: Select The Person
When delegating work it must be something that challenges the team member by providing added responsibility and higher proficiency. Resentment will be your outcome if the team member can perceive no real benefit to them and/or feel like they have been dumped on.
Each of these motivations will illicit a differing response from the delegatee:
Dumping
Developing future leaders
Providing challenge and variety to team members
Making use of under-utilized talents
Freeing up time to work 'on-the-business'
Before you delegate assess each team member's:
Skills & Capabilities
Desires
Development needs
Previous track record
Potential
Step Three: Plan The Delegation
The results that are expected (How success will be measured)
The level of authority (Any particular stages at which you want involvement)
Any elements which will require training, coaching
How to minimize conflicting priorities or other risk factors/concerns
The likely number of work hours for each activity
The resources required/available
Timelines, Milestones and Deadlines (How progress will be monitored)
Many of the elements that you identify in the planning stage may be modified once you begin to hold the conversation with the delegatee. For example, you may decide to change timelines or decrease the number of hours required. Stay open. Your plan is simply that, a plan, do not wed yourself to it and become inflexible during the conversation you have with your team member.
Step Four: The Delegation Meeting
It is important to really ensure that the person is committed to the new responsibility. People are more committed and engaged when they are involved in the process of establishing the expectation (see above). Their emotional contract with you and the project is critical to a successful outcome.
During the meeting you should cover:
Why you need help
Why you have chosen this particular person
the importance and relevance of the assignment
the benefits for the individual
how it fits in to the overall scheme of the organization
Seek first level of commitment
Describe the task
Set out the scope and expectations
Identify conflicting priorities
ask the critical question
Discuss training needs
Set up milestones meetings
Seek full commitment
Step Five: Milestones Meetings
During these meetings:
Review what has been accomplished to date and seek feedback from them on how well they feel they are progressing in achieving the expected result.
Identify anything you would like the person to do differently.
Check if they are encountering any problems and what plans they have in place to handle them.
Provide encouragement, coaching and feedback.
Set the next milestone meeting (if you don't already have a preset schedule).
Ensure that at each meeting the person is reassured that you are available to answer questions whenever they need support.
Step Six: Debrief
The final debriefing consists of a two-way discussion about how the delegated task went. It allows you to:
Acknowledge any personal development that has occurred<
Outline areas for additional growth
Applaud success and absorb the consequences of failure
Acknowledge performance problems and remedies for the future
Provide coaching
Find out how you went as a delegator and how you could improve the in the future
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