Top Ten “Knows” for Effective Delegation

1. Know Thyself
Identify your own strengths and weaknesses. Do this project and this company fulfill your life purpose? Does it move you forward in your journey?

2. Know Thy Staff
Surround yourself with people who have strengths that compliment your strengths, and more importantly support your weaknesses. If you are a “big picture” person, you must have a “detailist” on board. If numbers are your game, find a “wordist”.

3. Know the project
By familiarizing yourself with the project, you can better assign the right staff person to lead it. Your knowledge of the project will also provide your staff with clear and accurate directions

4. Know good communication skills
Clear directions to staff require that you have good written and spoken communication skills. Excellent listening skills are equally important. Ask your staff if they understand and if they have any questions. Disagree agreeably.

5. Know the obstacles
Help your staff identify the possible obstacles. Who will be threatened by this project? What is our competition? Are the timelines realistic? Is the budget adequate?

6. Know the partners
Who might benefit from a partnership on the project? Who do you need to expedite your success on the project? Will a partnership with another area, company or individual result in long term benefit?

7. Know the plan
Empower your staff to create the plan, and then review for fine tuning. An effective plan includes established timelines, budget, assignments, and evaluation.

8. Know how to let go
Delegation is not for the faint at heart. Effective delegation increases productivity and revenue generation. Effective delegation empowers staff, which results in critical thinking and ownership to the project and the company. Letting go does NOT mean turning your back. Occasional checks are vital to your comfort and to the success of the project and staff.

9. Know it won’t get done exactly like you would do it
No two people address problem solving exactly the same way. Your delegation of critical projects to your staff tells them that you trust their abilities. When you realize that the staff has a different approach than you would take, make every effort to celebrate their ingenuity!

10. Know to expect great results
Define the success of the project first and make sure your staff understands how the project will be evaluated. Create the expectation of great success and continue to reinforce this expectation. Step back, attend to other issues more deserving of your attention, and enjoy the experience of success!

Betsy Smith
www.elsmithconsulting.com