Dare to delegate

Did you ever wonder about the best way to get a job done when you have multiple jobs to complete at the same time? Multitasking is a definite need in today’s leadership and management environment. Did you ever give thought to replicating your skills and passions in many more people? This will be possible only through delegation.

Be it a homemaking mother delegating small house chores to another member of the household when she cannot leave the stove; be it the manager’s job to complete various parts of a project; be it the prime ministerial activities of big political leaders or the presidential jobs of the most powerful countries of the world, all can only be accomplished by good and proper delegation. If there is no delegation, delays are inevitable in getting the job done and a risk of complete failure in accomplishment of the task is eminent. Administration of multiple responsibilities and production of results in a time bound manner requires delegation.

In the current scenario of both personal lives and the professional world, the art of getting the job done is extremely important, that too in a given time, without delay.

Definition of delegation

Delegation is a job given to someone with clear communication, the needed authority to accomplish the work, and the requirement of reporting back about the same.

Delegation involves

Giving out an assignment or handing over a task. Clarity should be maintained in the mind of the one who delgates, as well as the one to whom the task is delegated. The scope of the work and the required time frame should be stated clearly.

Clear communication of the job to be done. Someone rightly said that communication is not what is said but what is understood.  If the person receiving the job understands differently, then the leader or the manager should improve his or her own communication skills.

Clearing double expectations. Many times expectations of the one giving the work differ from those of the one performing the delegated task. Perhaps someone is not expected to do a thorough job, but understands instead that the expectation is for a perfect or final product.  The expectations from both sides should be made clear in delegation.

Delegate to train and develop others. There is so much emphasis these days on academics and qualifications.  Though they are important, the age-old “guru-shishya” system of schooling in India was dependant on this type of training of others. The biblical leader Moses, who probably led more people than any other according the biblical narration, also taught his leadership and management skills to Joshua by delegating and training before his own role could be handed over.

Downside in Delegation

Too much of delegation. Sometimes work gets passed on without the leader giving good thought to the process or the outcome.

Delegation without adequate follow-up. Delegation is prone to fail when there is a lack of needed follow up. From time to time and as required there should be adequate follow-up.  Be careful, however, that in the name of follow up the leader does not end up doing the whole job!

Good balance between not interfering and adequate follow up is necessary. Many times those receiving the delegation complain that interference is too much beyond what is needed.   This kills creativity and the ability to perform, thereby being counterproductive to organizational goals.

Delegation without proper authority causes frustration. Many leaders / managers think that delegation is good, but are insecure to give authority along with it.  Harm is done to the job or project due to lack of authority. Even in high positions of government delegation would be productive, but authority is most times vested only in the “top”.  It does not get filtered down to those performing the job on a day to day basis.

Delegating relationships and friendships is not appropriate. The danger of delegating the maintaining of personal friendships and relationships causes a sad state of affairs in any network. Special occasions in the family, keeping in touch with loved ones and maintaining communication with close friends cannot be delegated. Some business-related activities in this regard may be delegated, but the sole responsibility of maintaining these familial dynamics rests on the individual.

Invalid reasons for NOT Delegating

Fear of not getting the job done “perfectly”. Some think nobody can do a job as good as we ourselves can!!  The fear of the majority of leaders and managers is that if a job is delegated it may not be done “perfectly well”.  We must remember that “perfect” people are those who have made several attempts and just as many mistakes to attain “perfection”.

The time and effort that it takes to explain and delegate. Leaders and managers may think it is a long process to explain all the details of a job and may prefer to go ahead and simply do the job on their own.  This is a taxing decision in the long run.  When an opportunity arises for this job to be done again, due to lack of delegation there is no one competent to attend to it.

It is a necessity in today’s world to engage in multi-tasking, especially for the new age leader and manager.  Getting several jobs done at the same time is a necessity.  Besides being industrious and creative, leaders and managers should learn the proper use of delegation.

To excel and avoid burnout while still accomplishing our tasks, one must dare to delegate.

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Sam Paul is the Chief Information Officer of OM India (a reputed NGO) and a human Rights activist for the past two decades. He is currently a research student of Acharya Nagarjuna Ranga University in Andhra Pradesh.