All managers have to know how to delegate. It’s a requirement. The best manager in the world can’t handle every aspect of a project alone. In fact, in order to be “Best Manager on the Planet” delegation is an essential ability. Here are three critical skills necessary to choose the correct person to handle each aspect of your projects every time.
The Scenario
You have just been assigned a big project by your supervisor. While you are excited at the prospect of showing what you can do in a bigger arena, fear creeps in as well. Realistically, there is no way that you can handle it alone. But, who could do as good a job as you with the same attentiveness as you to get the job done? Assigning tasks to the wrong person could be just as disastrous as trying to finish it all yourself.
Getting the Job Done with a Smile on Everyone’s Face
Delegating is not easy. The first thing to note is that it could be disastrous to give the wrong job to the wrong person. One way to avoid this dilemma is getting to know your team members. Evaluating their performance based on strengths and weaknesses has great advantages. One, those strengths can be used to their peak for project success as well as personal growth. Two, weaknesses can be identified and a training plan created and implemented to address them. Third, over time, those weaknesses can become strengths you can use.
Here are three skills that make delegating easier to perform.
- Know the tasks that need to be done and what they entail – Knowing your team members is only one side of the coin. The other side involves intimately understanding the nuances of the entire project and how to break it down into appropriate smaller tasks. Now you can investigate what skills are needed by each employee to accomplish each part of the whole. It’s time to list what team members fit the bill so you can make an intelligent choice.
- Know who’s boss – Ultimately, you are the final decision maker. But, the idea of delegating is to remain available as needed without having to become involved in the day-to-day issues of the project unless absolutely necessary. Place a team member in charge that is a strong leader and can command the respect of the others on the team without complaint.
- Know what everyone is thinking – Communication covers a multitude of sins. Ensure that each employee responsible for a task understands their job thoroughly. Break it down as much as you need so both of you are on the same page. Create an atmosphere of mutual sharing where employees can air their concerns and questions.