Delegation - what training needs should we consider?

No matter what area of business you are in - retailer or wholesaler, there are many occasions that you probably need to and should be delegating tasks and responsibilities to others.

Delegation is one of the most important facets of being a good time manager. Delegation also means that you are prepared to grow and develop your team of people.

Often during our time management or leadership workshops we ask the question of participants - "Do you delegate to your staff?". Most people will answer "Yes, I do." However when we then ask - "Do you really delegate or just issue instructions to do a job?"; then most people are less sure about their ability to practice true delegation.

How do we train ourselves to be better delegators?

First let's get a proper handle on why we want to delegate in the first place. Every supervisor today is very pushed for time. Time management is a common reason or excuse given as to why things don't get done. In many cases the crux of the matter is that we don't invest the time to identify what jobs, tasks and responsibilities we could pass onto to others.

There are a number of reasons why people fail to delegate, but most fall into the following areas:

  • They don't trust their employees.
  • They feel they can do it better themselves.
  • By the time they teach someone else to do it, they could have done it themselves.
  • The employee might do it wrong or poorly.

This results in supervisors spending too much of the working day looking after and doing trivial operational tasks that could very well be performed by other people.

If you delegated some tasks, you could really spend quality time on working "on the business" instead of "in the business". The people who are spending time analysing their business, looking for growth in turnover and developing strong relationships with clients, customers and other networks that support their business are the people who achieve growth and return on their investments for themselves or their shareholders.

Delegation handled well, improves the business' performance, builds the self-esteem of staff and creates a happier workplace. To do this well, we need to embrace the concept of delegation.

There are a number of critical steps that need to be followed when deciding to delegate tasks and responsibilities to people. They are:

  • Always be clear on the specific task or job you wish to delegate - clearly identify the desired outcome and the steps in the job.
  • Always choose the appropriate staff member to delegate to - not everyone is ready to take on extra responsibility.
  • Always take the time to "brief" the staff member - before you begin training them, spend an appropriate amount of time empowering them. This means discussing with them the reason "why" you are delegating to them, how positive it will be for the business and that you have every confidence in their ability to take it on. You need to make sure they don't think that you are just hand balling "rotten" jobs to them because you don't want to do them anymore.
  • Always spend time training them to take on the tasks - remember they are adults and learn best by being shown how and given time to practice the new job.
  • Don't forget to continue to supervise them - but not over their shoulder, supervise from a distance. If you have offered them the responsibility for the task, give them the space to make it their own. Remember to provide regular positive feedback and support.

And lastly, never forget that you might delegate the responsibility, but you retain the accountability. As President Truman once said - "The buck stops here." Your staff will be happy to take on extra tasks and participate more in the business when they are shown how, believe in their own abilities and are supported by supervisors who appreciate the commitment by staff and provide the environment for them to perform.

Some say time management is all about planning and prioritising. This is partly true, however the best method of achieving more time to manage your business or job role is to identify when and who you can delegate to - train them well, empower them and recognise their achievements.

atmp conducts Leadership and Performance Management programs for supervisors and managers and "Tailored" time management workshops that target planning and delegation processes.




 

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