Delegation
Developing skills in effective delegation can have an incredible impact on personal productivity, but it can also help to create dynamic, collaborative teams that are motivated and constantly improving. Effective delegation is not just about palming off the most tedious tasks to junior members of the team!
It's about having a clear understanding of one's own responsibilities and priorities, and sharing out certain tasks in order to get the best out of ourselves and achieve the best outcomes with and through our colleagues. So anyone who wants to make the best possible use of their time in order to achieve their objectives and deadlines; and anyone who would like to improve levels of skill, initiative and accountability within their team, would benefit from developing their delegation skills.
Individuals wishing to improve their skills in relation to delegation are often interested in finding ways to:
- Understand their natural approach to delegation and identify areas for improvement
- 'Let go' when appropriate, rather than try to do everything themselves
- Become more confident and assertive in their ability to delegate effectively
- Communicate their priorities more effectively - both to enlist support and to set realistic expectations
- Delegate appropriate tasks in an effective way that achieves a win-win outcome
- Provide the right amount of support and supervision when they have delegated tasks to others
- Plan and implement an on-going personal delegation strategy.
It is understandable that many people believe that delegation is only for people who are too lazy to take on tasks themselves. However, the most effective delegators find ways of managing their own workloads to achieve their goals with and through their teams. Many people believe that they will get better outcomes if they just get on with doing everything themselves. However, holding onto everything can only have short-term gains, as it can lead to personal burnout in the longer term and stagnant, unmotivated teams - with potential for high staff turn-over.
"If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate" John C. Maxwell - American author
How to spot effective delegation
Is the person delegating:
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Strategic - have they carefully planned what they're delegating, why they're delegating it, and to whom they're delegating?
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Clear and concise - are they able to communicate the remit and boundaries of the delegated task so as to minimise risk of misunderstandings and failures?
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Taking responsibility - are they retaining ownership of the outcomes, whilst giving enough information, guidance and support without being overbearing?
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Flexible - can they change their plans or their instructions to suit the changing needs of the situation?
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Generous - are they able to give praise where praise is due? Do they congratulate and publicly give credit to others for their successes?
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Achieving their own goals - do they harness the capacity and capability of their team/colleagues to get the best possible outcomes?
Delegation Training from H2
Our delegation training is designed to empower our participants to become more confident and strategic at delegating tasks to help achieve their own goals, whilst also developing others. We aim to strike a balance between presenting essential background information, and facilitating participative exercises and discussions that are both challenging and motivating, and that enable useful learning to take place that can be directly applied back in the workplace.
We can deliver delegation training virtually, or at a venue of your choice, for any number of participants.
Ready-to-Go Courses: Over the past 24 years, we've worked hard to devise and develop a range of courses that suit the broad needs of our customers. Ready-to-Go course titles relating to the topic of delegation include:
- Delegation Skills
- Time Management
- Managing Under Pressure
- Managing Your Manager ("Proactive Supervisee")
- Negotiation Skills
- Project Management
- Teamwork
- Emotional Intelligence
- Assertiveness Skills
Bespoke Courses: If you have something more specific in mind, we can design and deliver a tailored course for you. Following a short pre-course consultation, we'll put together a course programme that reflects your specified priorities, and that includes exercises based on real-life case studies/scenarios.
One-to-One Training: We also offer delegation training for those who may benefit from the undivided attention of our trainer. These one-to-one sessions are entirely focused on the specific needs/interests of the participant, and are extremely well received for achieving lasting learning and observable improvements.
No-obligation Quote
Please CONTACT US today - just give us a brief outline of what you're looking to achieve, the number of participants and the proposed location, and we'll get back to you shortly.