Delegation

Delegation is a vital skill for team leaders. Genuine delegation leads to a team owning its success and increasing its capacity for achievement. Yet letting go of control can be hard.

Pause for Thought: In "Making a Team Work", Steve Chalke provides a check list of things to consider delegating:

Things you are good at
Things you are bad at
Work which will provide experience
Opportunities to reinforce talents
Routine decisions

Take 10 minutes to think of 5 things you could delegate tomorrow using these categories.

Five Tips for Great Delegation

1. Provide Context

It is essential to be clear about what is required, and why it is important. Setting the delegated work within the broader context energizes recipients. They're clear how it contributes to the overall success of the team. Recipients should also be clear how their tasks help the team achieve the vision or success criteria.

2. Delegate Authority and Responsibility

Delegating the responsibility to complete a task is relatively easy. Delegating the necessary authority is less so. Delegating authority requires confidence in the individual, since the leader is relinquishing some control over team activities. Yet without the necessary authority and room for decision making, people are not empowered to complete the tasks they have been given. This is particularly vital in a voluntary organization.

3. Support don't Abdicate

Delegation does not mean complete withdrawal. Particularly in the early stages, people need support and encouragement to take on additional responsibility. They may need skill training, or encouraging feedback as they stretch themselves in previously untested areas. Prayer support is equally important. Abdication can leave the delegated person feeling that if anything goes wrong they are left isolated.

4. Only Delegate When Appropriate

Check that the recipients of the delegation have the necessary skills, information, authority and capability to carry out the delegated responsibilities. If not, then the work will not get done and the individual concerned may lose motivation.

5. Look at Team and Sub-team Structure

Map out what is delegated to the various individuals and sub-teams on your team. Check for consistency and overlaps, and ensure that there is clear communication within the team as to who has responsibility for which areas. This is even more important within a team setting than in a traditional one-to-one, manager to subordinate, relationship.

Great delegation builds trust, develops skills in those to whom the tasks have been delegated and frees the leader to work on other things.