This document provides guidance on effective delegation for managers. It begins by outlining the objectives of learning how to delegate work to offload tasks and get more done. It then defines delegation and lists the benefits, which include reduced stress, improved time management, and skills development for employees. The document advises managers on when and to whom to delegate tasks, and provides a step-by-step process for delegation that involves introducing the task, demonstrating it, ensuring understanding, allocating authority and resources, letting go, and supporting and monitoring progress. It also addresses common concerns and obstacles to delegation as well as the consequences of poor delegation.

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Effective Delegation For Rosco
Laboratories by Laura Jacob
Pro Way Development
prowaydevelopment.com
laura@prowaydevelopment.com
A Primer for Managers to practice Delegation successfully
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Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:
Appreciate the importance of delegating to others as a way to offload
work and get more done in your busy life
Face your fear of delegation and learn to think positively of delegating
tasks to others
Adopt an appropriate strategy to delegate the right task to the right
people at the right time and in the right way
Use a systematic step-by-step approach to brief people on what you
want to delegate to them
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What is Delegation?
Delegation is the assignment of responsibility to
another person for the purpose of carrying out
specific job-related activities. Delegation is a
shift of decision-making authority from one
organizational level to another.

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Benefits of Delegation
Manager / Supervisor Benefits
Reduced stress
Improved time management
Increased trust
Employee Benefits
Professional knowledge and skill development
Elevated self-esteem and confidence
Sense of achievement
Organizational Benefits
Increased teamwork
Increased productivity and efficiency

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Why Not?
…its too hard!
…it takes too much time!
…nobody can do it as good as I
can
…nobody else has any time
either……

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Knowing When to Delegate
Delegating can be especially helpful in the
following situations:
When the task offers valuable training to an
employee
When an employee has more knowledge or
experience related to the task than you
When the task is recurring and all employees
should be prepared or trained
When the task is of low priority and you have high
priority tasks that require your immediate
attention
When you need/should have back-up

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To Whom Should You Delegate?
When deciding who to select for the task,
you must consider:
The current work load of the employee
The employee’s strengths and weaknesses
The training and experience levels of the
employee

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6 Levels of Delegation
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Steps in Delegation
I – Introduce the task
D- Demonstrate clearly what needs to be done
E - Ensure understanding
A - Allocate authority, information and resources
L - Let go
S - Support and Monitor

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Introduce the Task
Determine the task
to be delegated
Determine the tasks
to retain
Select the delegate

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Introduce the Task
Determine the task to be
delegated
Determine the tasks to retain
Select the delegate
Those tasks you completed
prior to assuming new role
Those tasks your delegates
have more experience with
Routine activities
Those things not in your core
competency

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Introduce the Task
Use What-Why
Statements:
I want you to do…..
Because you……

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What-Why Statements
In your groups, brainstorm 5 tasks you are
currently doing that could be delegated.
Determine who would serve as your best
delegate for each of the tasks.
Compose what – why statements for each
of the 5 tasks brainstormed.

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Demonstrate Clearly
Show examples of previous
work
Explain objectives
Discuss timelines, set
deadlines

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Ensuring Understanding
Clear communication
Ask for clarification
Secure commitment
Don’t say no to them
Collaboratively determine methods for
follow-up

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Allocate…
authority, information, resources
Grant authority to determine process, not
desired outcomes
Provide access to all information sources
Refer delegate to contact persons or specific
resources that have assisted previously
Provide appropriate training to ensure success

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Let go…
Communicate delegate’s
authority
Step back, let them work
Use constrained access
Don’t allow for reverse
delegation

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Support and Monitor
Schedule follow-up meetings
Review progress
Assist, when requested
Avoid interference
Publicly praise progress and completion
Encourage problem solving

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Support and Monitor
In your group, select one task from
your previous group work. Determine 5
techniques that would be effective for
supporting/monitoring the progress of
a delegate.

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Delegation Stressors
Loss of control?
If you train your subordinates to apply
the same criteria as you would yourself,
then they will be exercising your control
on your behalf.

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Delegation Stressors
Too much time spent on explaining the
tasks
The amount of time spent up front is, in
fact, great. But, continued use of
delegation may free you up to complete
more complex tasks and/or gain you
some time for yourself.

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Delegation Stressors
Compromising your own value
By successfully utilizing appropriate
delegation, your value to the
group/organization will grow at a greater
rate as you will have more time to do
more things…….

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Delegation Obstacles
Lack of support
Managers and employees must be fully supportive of
the delegation efforts in order to be successful
Failure to plan
Taking the time to follow the steps for delegation
can avoid any pitfalls that might otherwise be
overlooked
Lack of communication
Communicating the plan in a clear and precise
manner prevents errors caused by miscommunication

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Delegation Obstacles (cont’d.)
Fear of relinquishing control
Management may be resistant to delegating at first,
but delegation can build trust and morale among
managers and employees
Micromanagement
Micromanagement prevents employees from
completing their assigned tasks and defeats the
purpose of delegation

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Signs of Micromanagement
Micromanaging occurs when a manager
assigns a task to an employee, but
prevents the employee from successfully
completing the task on his/her own
Micromanagers usually:
Resist delegating
Prevent employees from making decisions
Revoke tasks after they have been assigned
Avoid letting employees work independently

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How to Avoid Micromanagement
Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of managers
and employees
Create a written plan and timeline
Include scheduled meetings and evaluations rather than
frequent ‘check ins’ that can be viewed as
micromanaging
Allow employees and managers to openly communicate
any concerns or questions they may have

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Practice Makes Perfect
It gets easier the more you do it
You become more familiar with your delegates
Flow-through task delegation

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Consequences of poor delegation
Information and decision-making not shared by the
group
Leaders become tired out
When leaders leave groups, no one has experience to
carry on
Group morale becomes low and people become
frustrated and feel powerless
The skills and knowledge of the group/organization
are concentrated in a few people
New members don’t find any ways to contribute to
the work of the group.

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And, finally…..
“The secret of success is not in doing your own
work but in recognizing the right [person] to
do it.” ~Andrew Carnegie