The Alternative Board TAB®
TAB Boards International, Inc.
Delegation
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Delegation
“Wise is the person who realizes early in
life that what they can do by themselves is
relatively small. A person’s success is
determined, in large measures, by what they
are able to get other people to do.”
Lee S. Brickmore
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Definition
Appointing someone else to act on
your behalf
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Delegate To:
When you reach a point in your business
where you are juggling too many balls
and you begin to drop them.
When you want to free yourself
of areas that are not your
strengths or which you
do not enjoy.
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Delegate To:
Deal with time management issues.
When you need to create free time to
strategize your business.
Work on your business not just in it.
Reduce the amount of time you are
working, not only in hours but days.
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Delegate To:
Create growth in your company.
Protect yourself in case of illness or
injury.
Prepare your business for an exit strategy.
Reduce stress.
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Why don’t I Delegate?
The belief that “no one can do it as
well as I can.”
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Why don’t I Delegate?
Your lack of confidence in
employees.
Your lack of desire to take risks.
Reluctance to delegate tasks
that you enjoy.
The quest for perfection.
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Why can’t I Delegate?
Avoidance of change.
Concerns about acceptance of others.
Fear that the employee will do it better
than you.
Paranoid about sharing company
systems or methods.
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Delegation is a two-way Process
You delegate responsibility; authority flows
from you to the employee.
Accountability flows from employee to you.
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Levels of Authority
Assign a challenge or opportunity:
1. Report facts back to me and I will
make a decision on what is to be done.
2. Give me alternative actions, with
pluses and minuses of each; give me a
recommendation of the best option.
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Levels of Authority
Assign a challenge or opportunity :
3. Advise me of what your plan of action is;
don’t take action until I authorize.
4. Advise me of your plan; proceed with the
plan unless I tell you directly otherwise.
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Levels of Authority
Assign a challenge or opportunity:
5. Activate your plan and advise me of
what was done.
6. Activate your plan to solve the
problem and nothing is required of
me.
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Responsibility
Subordinates should be accountable for
their performance of delegated tasks. This
can be achieved by:
Evaluating performance based upon
subordinates staying within authority
boundaries.
Measuring performances based upon achieved
results.
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Responsibility
Subordinates should be accountable for
their performance of delegated tasks. This
can be achieved by:
Scheduled updating meetings with the
subordinates.
Critiques, listening to subordinate and adjustments.
Creation of “To Do” lists.
Use of software tracking mechanisms like ACT! Or
Goldmine to allow follow-up.
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Responsibility
To be successful subordinates must be given
the following structure:
A detailed job description
A written system to be followed
Training
Objectives that can be measured
Objectives that are achievable
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Responsibility
Subordinates to be successful must be given
the following structure:
Guidelines and standards of performance
Timeline schedules to be followed
Authority to act (Levels of authority should be
pre-assigned)
Incentive for performance
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Delegating
As an owner in need of help, there is a
tendency to turn it over to another employee
in the company abdicating the owner’s
responsibility.
But the employee needs to understand:
Why they are doing what they are doing.
What results and standards should be obtained.
How their responsibilities fit into the long term
plan.
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Causes of Ineffective Delegation
Employee's lack of ability due to:
Poor hiring
Poor or no training
Employee's lack of incentive
Employee's unwillingness to take risk
Employee's fear of punitive action
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Causes of Ineffective Delegation
Unclear job duties
Unclear task assignment
Constant criticism of task results and
techniques
Lack of achievable goals
Lack of defined objectives
Over controlling the employee
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What’s In It For Me
Allow your company to grow. You can’t do
it all and succeed in growth plans.
Ensure you are able to run the business
rather than it running you.
Improve the employment culture giving
your employees additional job satisfaction.
Allow personal time to enjoy life.
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