Delegation

Three Steps to Choosing what to Delegate

Delegation is both a critical skill that successful managers must demonstrate, and one often neglected by overworked managers.  Here are three steps to decide what can come off your plate:

1.  Identify tasks only you can do.  Take a look at your workload and identify tasks, projects, or functions that require your specific skills or level of authority.
2.  Sort the rest.  Take a look at everything else on your list and determine what others can easily do, what requires coaching for others to do, and what needs outsourcing.
3. Keep what makes you happy.  Don't give away the things that you most enjoy even if others can do them.  Delegation should increase your job satisfaction, not detract from it.

Adapted from the Harvard ManageMentor module, "Delegating."