Don’t Dump…Delegate
Dan Lawson
Petros Consulting Services
www.petrosconsultingservices.com
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
1
How well do you delegate?
Questions to ask yourself:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Do I work long after regular hours? Do I take
work home on a regular basis?
Do I work longer than my staff?
Do I spend time doing things for other people
that they could do themselves?
In an emergency, is there no subordinate or
colleague who could relieve me?
Do I lack the time to plan my tasks and
activities?
When I return from a trip, is my desk piled
high?
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
2
How well do you delegate?
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Do I often have to postpone an important task
to deal with others?
Am I constantly in a hurry in order to meet
deadlines?
Do I spend time with routine work that could be
done by someone else?
Do I dictate most of the correspondence,
memos, and reports that I have to sign?
Do I lack time for social or company functions?
Do I want to be involved in, and informed
about, everything?
Do I have a hard time following my priority list?
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
3
How well did you do?
Add up how many times you answered with yes.
0-4 : You delegate extraordinarily well!
5-7 : You could improve your delegation
style in several areas.
8-13 : You have a serious problem with
delegation. Solving this problem should
have absolute priority.
Time Is Money: Save It, by Lothar J. Seiwert, Dow Jones-Irwin, 1818 Ridge
Rd., Homewood, IL 60430
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
4
Don’t Dump…Delegate
Two questions to ask leaders when
they become ineffective or suffer
burnout:
1.
Do you have the ability to build a
team?
2.
Do you have the right people
around you to share the load?
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
5
Don’t Dump…Delegate
Your style will be determined by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Your temperament.
Your team.
Communication with your team.
Your schedule.
Your priorities.
Your place in the organization.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
6
Ten Reasons Why We Don’t Delegate
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We enjoy the task too much.
We believe that the other person is
already overloaded.
We have had a bad experience with
delegating.
We are unable to find “qualified”
people to delegate to.
We have wrong expectations.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
7
Ten Reasons Why We Don’t Delegate
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
We have never done it.
We are insecure.
We want to keep control.
We don’t want to take the time to find,
recruit and train other people.
We don’t like to bore people with
repetitive tasks.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
8
Steps to Successful Delegation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Know yourself.
Know your team.
Clearly define your priorities.
Clearly define the task.
Provide the resources needed.
Develop a list of working questions
to gain feedback.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
9
Steps to Successful Delegation
7.
8.
9.
10.
Develop a system of delegating
authority.
Make clear the level of authority you
have given to the person.
Hold people accountable for their
actions.
Recognize effort and reward results.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
10
Do’s and Don’ts of Delegation
Do…
1. Delegate to develop people.
2. Delegate to someone who can do it at
least 80% as well as you.
3. Communicate clearly and continually.
4. Trust the people on your team.
5. Delegate for results.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
11
Do’s and Don’ts of Delegation
Don’t…
1. Let the information chain get to
long.
2. Ask one person to report to two or
more people.
3. Make fuzzy job assignments.
4. Be to rigid.
5. Delegate and then advocate.
WWSMM 2000
Microsoft Confidential
12