Last week we discussed the critical link between delegation and responsibility when assigning tasks to others in a growing organization. As we continue this discussion we consider another key principle in effective leadership: clearly communicating what is being re-tasked to each person.
A tool that most people in leadership find useful when tasks are being delegated is to develop and provide a simple and precise job description. The goal is to clearly communicate what is expected.
In that spirit we offer here a simple outline for key elements to be considered when devising a job description:
Mission Statement: Provide the organization’s mission statement so that the delegated role will be properly understood in the overall context of the core organizational objective.
Goal: State the goal of the assigned job; clarify what will define success in terms of outcomes.
Responsibilities: List the assigned responsibilities in a series of clear sentences that provides a scope of the task(s) being assigned/delegated.
Limits: Clarify the limitations of the role (i.e. allowed to hire/terminate subordinates – or not; must remain within budget parameters, etc.).
Accountability: For what will they be held accountable – and to whom will they be accountable. Make it clear.
Duration: Clarify when the assignment/role will be terminated or be reviewed.
Certainly there are people who specialize in human resource management who could provide a level of expertise on this topic beyond the scope of this blog. Our purpose here is to provide a simple job description “checklist” to be considered as a tool for devising clear communication when delegating responsibility to others.
What have we missed? What would you add? Subtract? Let us know your thoughts by email by clicking here, or use the new DISQUS comment section below.