Letting go of control is sometimes the most difficult thing to do. It’s simply not possible to accomplish everything oneself, no matter how much you’d like to. It’s tempting to believe that you’re the only one who can complete a work perfectly, but this is only true in the most extreme of circumstances.
What is delegation of authority?
Delegation of authority is a process of transferring responsibility for a task to another team member. It is a crucial segment of delegation in the workplace. Some examples of delegation in the workplace include the situations when a manager gives directions to an employee and sets a clear deadline for the needed task.
Another delegation of authority example is when a team member assigns another team member to complete the research about some subject and deliver the results of this research. The delegated employee should do research, provide feedback and report back the results. In the end, there will be business decisions that will be made according to the report. This is a proven way to make better decisions and lead the company to success.
Delegation of responsibility is a crucial segment of the working process. As a manager, you can delegate the tasks to your team members and make the job easier for all of them. Below we explain how to delegate work in 6 steps and what needs to be done in order to maintain the proper delegation of work.
1. Prepare
Before delegating the tasks, a manager should be aware of all the segments of the tasks. He or she must know the purpose of the task and the end result that the task should produce. In the method of preparation, there should be smaller tasks that explain how the job must be done and what the most important details of the tasks are. You should take your time and prepare the outline of the most relevant expectations that you have as a manager.
2. Define the task
In order to give the task to the team member, you should first define the requirements that you have. To make sure that an employee understands the task, ask them to repeat the main points. Be patient because not all employees have the same approach to the tasks. Some of them will need more time to understand the task that you are trying to explain.
3. Set the deadlines
There is a specific time during which the task needs to be done. It is very important to set clear deadlines and inform your team members about the time period they need to stick to. In modern business, time is money, and you should know how to set reasonable and manageable deadlines in order to succeed.
4. Confirm commitment
It is not enough for a manager to do delegation of authority. He or she needs to be sure that a team member is fully committed to the task. This can be done by checking the deadlines, tools, and budgets. Each employee needs to commit to the task and the manager should be there to track the progress. In this manner, the job will be done in a better and more productive way.
5. Check the progress
It is crucially important that you check the progress of the work. This can be done in various ways, and you should ask the employee if they have enough time and resources to complete the tasks. If there is room for improvement, you should always consider delegating work in a better way. Checking the progress will give you a clear picture of what point the task is and how you can improve the job in the future.
6. Check the results
At the end of the working process, you can check the results of the work that has been done. If you find some mistakes, you can delegate work to your team members again. If everything is okay, you can learn from the process and repeat it the next time when you have a new task to complete.