When leading a team, it quickly becomes essential to delegate responsibility to members of the team. Here are 5 quick tips for effective delegation:
1. Be Specific: when assigning responsibility, it is important to be clear and specific regarding the objective. Vague assignments produce vague results.
2. Start Small: When delegating tasks to newer players, start small and assign something that is relatively easy to achieve. Once completed, increase the complexity with the next assignment. There is an old and valid saying, “The person who is faithful with little, will be faithful with much.”
3. Reward Effort: Rewarding effort is more important than rewarding “success.” Some of the most amazing inventions are the result of "failed" efforts; Post-it notes, for instance, are the result of a 3M lab technician “failing” to create a new glue. By contrast, only rewarding success can cause people to be fearful of trying new things (and facing the risk of failure). therefore, reward effort.
4. Regular (Mid-Project) Reviews: It’s play-off season for professional NFL football in the United States. Every week each team reviews the video from its game that week. Theses professional athletes do not wait to the end of the season to review game action, plans, successes, and mistakes. Instead, they review “along the way” and make the appropriate adjustments. The teams that can adjust – and do so – are the teams that are likely to advance to the next level.
5. Establish a Sunset: Studies show that effective goals are set at 90-day intervals. Longer term goals are proven to be less effective. Although not every task can be completed in 90 days, interim evaluation points can occur at such intervals. And, establishing an end-point – or sunset – can allow for an opportunity to make adjustments as needed. A "sunset" can also allow for a natural point in time to reassign the project to a different member of the team without the awkwardness of a mid-stream personnel adjustment.
Let us know your ideas for effective delegation.