Delegating Effectively by Meggin McIntosh, PhD

By meggin@meggin.com
In General
Dec 10th, 2013
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Delegating is an essential part of being productive both at home and at work. There are certainly tasks that I’m sure you’ve done where you asked yourself: “Did I earn a master’s degree to qualify me to stuff these envelopes?” Other times, you wonder, ‘Hmmm….why am I doing this when a machine can do this just as well?’  Here are a few ideas to consider as you think about becoming a better delegator.

  1. Know the definition of delegation.
  2. Be clear on why you need to delegate.
  3. Write down the crises that have occurred because you did not delegate.
  4. Generate a list of people to whom you can delegate. Don’t forget teenage neighbors, anyone who needs to earn extra money, people who are “looking for something to do,” and family members. Last week’s Top Ten was all about this particular issue.
  5. Have a method for tracking delegated tasks. (see next week’s Top Ten)
  6. Delegate selectively.
  7. Check in as often as necessary, but not more often.
  8. Remember that you own the responsibility even when you have delegated the task.
  9. Delegate progressively; avoid delegating too much too fast.
  10. Delegate, don’t abdicate.

Deputize... Then DelegateRemember that early on in the Top Ten Productivity Tips series, I encouraged you to do what only you can do. Delegation helps that become reality. To learn the specifics of delegation, sign up for the 2-part teleseminar “Deputize…Then Delegate.” All of us have the option to deputize others to handle tasks, projects, and appearances in our stead. What some of us don’t have is a clear sense of who, what, when, where, why, and how to delegate.

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