10 Tips and Best Practices for Effective Delegating
So, you say you have too much to do and not enough time to do it. There are 2 possibilities:
a. You are highly organized, you follow all the best practices for effective time and task management and yet...
b. ...none of the above
If description "b" fits you, you have lots of room for improvement.
If description "a" fits you, it could be that you are genuinely overloaded or that you are taking on more than you can realistically accomplish. It could also be that you are not making use of your ability to delegate certain tasks.
Following are tips and best practices for effective delegating.
- One person can only do so much. Be always open to the question: Is it possible to delegate part or all of a task, which you are about to start?
- Place a monetary value on your time. Recognize your core competencies. Delegate tasks outside of your "sweet-spot" (like bookkeeping, billing, web design,technology, administrative tasks) to others, who will be able to complete them faster and better than you can.
- Teach/train others how to do your work;
- Don't have employees, associates or assistants? Look further: you might be able to delegate to your suppliers, your family/friends or even your customers.
- Know your priorities and deadlines. Also know the amount of time that a task is likely to take. These will allow you to know when to delegate.
- Be careful not to make a name for yourself as the one "who always passes the buck". Also, be open to accept requests from others. Delegating is a two-way street!
- You can delegate face-to-face or in writing. The best way is to do both. Meet in person (see or feel the reaction) and document by writing it down.
- Minimally, always specify clearly "WHAT?" needs to be done, by "WHO?" and by "WHEN?" Often, you may also want to identify the required resources and other comments.
- If you do the above by email, consider writing the above directly in the Subject line. In the body of the email you may wish to insert a table with the "What-Who-When" and "Comments" column-headers.
- Make sure that the person to whom you delegated understands the task clearly. Also, make it clear that you expect to hear from him/her immediately, should anything prevent him/her from completing the task on time.
How do you stay on top of your delegated tasks? (Let's assume here, that you use MS Outlook or a similar program.)
- Create a Task with the following description: "X (the Who) to complete (the What) by (When)"
- Mark it as category "Waiting"
- Set a reminder date (before the deadline), which will still allow the completion of the task, even if the person hasn't done anything up till that time.
- When you get the reminder, call the person and inquire about the status of the task. If (s)he hasn't started, hopefully (s)he will, or if there is any impediment, you can still do something about it.
Oh, one more thing: Never forget to say "Thank you" after the successful completion of a delegated task.
10 Tips and Best Practices for Effective Delegating - To learn more about this author, visit Alex Revai's Website.
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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