As managers and/or entrepreneurs, we all too often tend to think we, “can do it all”.

Spoiler Alert – No one can be good at every task and skill that is required to run a small business or manage an organization, and sooner or later some sort of division of labour becomes necessary for survival.

Our individual personalities will dictate our delegation beliefs but the bottom line is, that a manager who does not delegate, is simply not managing.

Perhaps some of us simply don’t know how to delegate. So let’s start with what delegation is.

Delegation is the assignment of responsibility or authority to another person, (normally from a manager to a subordinate), to carry out specific activities.[1] 

It involves giving away operating work to persons who have the skills and ability to successfully complete it.

In order for them to take on the responsibilities you assign, delegation includes empowering them to do what is necessary to carry out the tasks effectively and then making them accountable to you for the results.

 A Quick Word about Delegation and Outsourcing

The terms “delegation” and “outsourcing” are similar but their use depends on the business you’re in. In practice, delegation and outsourcing are often indistinguishable.

Organizations with employees will tend to use the term “delegation” because it’s often in reference to the transfer of responsibilities to employees, whereas, the term “outsourcing” involves purchasing goods or subcontracting services from an outside company. Outsourcing is often deemed more comfortable because it is not connected with the idea of “giving up control”.

Sometimes we make up excuses for not delegating. Any of these sound familiar?

• I don’t have enough time to bring someone up to date with what I want done
• The job is way too important for me to risk someone not doing it right
• I can do the job best
• I’m the only one who knows how to do it

What Can be Delegated?

Well, contrary to what most of us might believe, almost everything can be delegated or assigned to someone else, except for the responsibilities that demand your personal attention, such as those decision-making tasks which involve high-risk for your business or organization.

As an example, my management style as a municipal Chief Administrative Officer, was always to set out the tasks to be accomplished and then empower staff to apply their skills and talents to get it done (the art of delegation). However, now as an entrepreneur of a growing company, I am quickly learning I cannot complete all the required tasks myself, (nor am I good at them all), so I am entering the world of outsourcing some of the work.

The art of delegation can really be accomplished in 5 phases:

Preparation – establish the goals of the delegation, specify the task and decide who should do it

Planning – meet with the individual, describe the task and ask them to develop a plan of action

Discussion – review the objectives, the plan of action, any obstacles and ways to avoid or deal with them

Monitor – check the progress of the delegation and make any necessary adjustments to respond to unforeseen problems

Appreciation – accept the completed task and acknowledge the efforts

It’s always best to track and record your delegation efforts – and I have a template for doing so. If you would like it, just email me and I’m happy to send it to you.

Addressing these 5 phases will help ensure you have the right people and resources in place that will contribute to the growth and success of your organization – and most of all, help you work smarter.

Susan Shannon, [email protected]

(Susan’s experiences as both a municipal Chief Administrative Officer and now as a consultant, led to the development of muniSERV.ca and have provided her with the insight she needs to help municipalities and professionals connect)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delegation