This document provides guidance on effectively delegating tasks as a manager. It discusses planning delegation by determining which tasks can be delegated based on factors like time and quality, choosing the right person based on their skills, motivation and workload, and deciding what information needs to be provided. When delegating, managers should allow enough time, communicate all necessary details, check for understanding, focus on outcomes not methods, provide encouragement, and review and monitor progress. Effective delegation requires thorough preparation and communication to set the delegate up for success while allowing them autonomy in how they complete the task.

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MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS: DELEGATING
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Lesson: Delegating as a Manager
After completing this topic, you should be able to
 determine what tasks are appropriate to delegate and the right person to delegate them to in a scenario
 recognize how to delegate tasks effectively
 delegate effectively in a scenario
SKILLBRIEF
PLANNING TO DELEGATE
Deciding what to delegate
Delegating tasks isn't just a matter of going down a list and distributing jobs to your employees as they come
throughyour door.Successfullygettingsomeoneelsetoperformtasksforyourequiresadegree of planning. Before
you can begin to delegate, you have to consider
 which tasks can be delegated – When deciding which tasks can be delegated, consider how factors such as
time andqualitycome intoplay.If youdelegate aparticulartask,ensure the other person can complete the
job on time. Also ask yourself if a high-quality result is important.
 who you shoulddelegate each task to – Start by figuringoutwhichof youremployeesiscapable of the task.
Choose someone who has the necessary skills or who is capable of learning them quickly. You also want
someone whoisinterestedinthe task,orat leastwillingtotake iton.Andhere again, time is a major factor.
The person you choose must be able to free up enough time to do the job.
 what information you needto provide – The amount of information you need to provide when delegating
the task will vary based on the nature of the task and the individual to whom you are delegating. Three
importanttypesof informationmust be included: what needs to be done and why, the results you expect,
and the deadline for completion.
The majority of tasks that managers perform can be delegated, so it's often easier to consider the three types of
tasks you shouldn't delegate:
 critical tasks, which are tasks that you and your superiors consider vital
 management-specific tasks such as personnel and pay matters, including hiring, disciplining, evaluating,
promoting, and terminating employees, and
 tasks involving sensitive or confidential information
Choosing the person to delegate to
There are some factors to consider for choosing the right person:
 skills–To get the bestresults,youmustchoose someone whoeitherhasthe necessaryskillsandexperience
to get the job done or who is capable of learning the necessary skills in time to complete the task.
 motivation – You'll get better results if you delegate to someone who is motivated to complete the task,
either because the person wants to help or because of an interest in the job itself.
 workload – To achieve the best results, choose someone whose workload is easily managed – perhaps
someone who has just wrapped up a project and has time available. Even the most skilled and motivated
people will be unable to complete delegated tasks if their workloads won't allow it. And, in addition to
failure to complete the task, it can lead to loss of morale.
Ideally you should find someone who measures up well against each factor. But it can be difficult to find a person
like thatinreal life situations,and soyour choice will alsodependonthe context. If you have a non-critical task that
doesn'trequire ahighdegree of quality,youmaydecide totake a chance on whoeverhastime available, regardless
of thatperson'smotivation,experience, or ability to learn. A person's current workload is usually the dealbreaker.
No matterhowinterestedandmotivatedpeople are,if theyhave notime available,there islittle pointin delegating
to them.
Once you've decided what the job is and who can do it, you can go on to consider which of the candidates you'd
prefertodelegate the taskto.You wantsomeone youcan rely on, particularly for important tasks. You also want to
consider who would benefit the most from being chosen. Perhaps the task can present useful development
opportunities for someone.

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Deciding on the information needed
You always need to provide enough information for the individual to successfully complete the job to your
satisfaction.Althoughdifferent tasks require different information, there's certain information you should always
include as a rule:
 the nature of the tasks, in the form of a brief overview of what needs to be done and why
 the results you expect and standards the work must meet, and
 any constraintssuchas limitsonauthority andresources, as well as the milestones and deadlines by which
tasks must be completed
While there are many other kinds of information you may include, keep it specific to the task at hand. To ensure
you've identifiedall the relevantinformation,ask yourself if the person has everything needed to get the job done
on time and to your satisfaction.
Planning is a vital step in ensuring your delegation goes smoothly and you achieve the desired results in terms of
boththe successful completionof the work andthe developmentopportunities the delegation offers for your staff.
Planningtodelegate involvesconsideringwhichtasksare appropriate todelegate andwhichmustremain your own.
You mustalso determinethe right person to delegate to. Once you know the task and the person to delegate it to,
youcan considerthe thirdfactor,whichishowmuch informationyouneedtoprovide togetpositive results for you
and your staff.
PROGRESS MONITORING AND TASK DELEGATION
Delegating effectively
Delegationrequiresyoutocommunicate well withthe peopletowhom you want to delegate. Incorporating six tips
into your approach will help you delegate tasks more effectively:
1. allow enough time for delegating the task
2. communicate all necessary details and background information
3. check understanding thoroughly
4. focus on outcomes, not methods
5. provide encouragement by expressing confidence and rewarding success, and
6. review and monitor progress as planned
Getting the information across
If getting the task done right is important at all, you need to give the process of delegating your full attention and
make sure the other person does the same. To avoid problems, you need to allow enough time to explain the
delegated task, including the details related to what, how, and when.
Duringyour meetingwiththe person,it'simportantto communicate all necessarydetails aboutthe task if you want
to getthe rightresults.Thisincludesexplainingbothwhatneedsto be done and why the task is important. In some
situations,abrief overview maybe enough.Inothers,adetailedwritten description may be needed. Naturally, the
level of detail toprovide dependsgreatly on the person, the person's skills, and the complexity of the task. A good
rule of thumbis to err onthe side of providingtoomuchinformationratherthan too little. The goal is to provide all
necessary background information the person requires to do a good job. This information should have been
determinedaspart of your planning.Youneedtoexplainthe resultsyouexpect,the standardsthatmustbe met,the
deadlinesinvolved,andanyconstraintsthat apply. You should also provide the rationale behind any requirements
and explain how progress monitoring will take place.
Once you've explained all the necessary information about the task, you must thoroughly check the person's
understanding.But,if you thinka simple "Isthatclear?"isenough,thenyoumightwantto thinkagain. Most people
quickly respond with "yes" regardless of whether they are really sure of themselves. And even those who are
confidentthattheyunderstandmayhave missedsomething.A yes-or-noanswer to this question won't confirm the
person's understanding about how to do the job.
Whendelegating,anotherimportanttipisto focuson the outcome,not the method. Give your employees as much
freedom as possible to decide how to execute the task you're giving them. Provide suggestions and advice as
appropriate,butletthe persondecide howtoachieve the resultsyouneed.People work in different ways. Ignoring
thismay cause youto missout on one of the potential benefitsof delegating–findingnew andbetter ways of doing
things. Forcing someone to use your methods, no matter how tried and true, may get in the way of success. Don't

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limit the options. Of course, letting go of your preconceptions about how a job should be done can be difficult,
especially one you've been doing for a long time. But what's important is helping the person succeed to your
satisfaction.
Anothertipisto provide encouragement.Close yourinitial meeting on a positive note by conveying your trust and
confidence inthe person.Youmightsay"Itseemslike youhave agood understandingof whatto doand why.I know
you'll doa great job.I'll checkin at the scheduledtime,but if you need anything before then, don't hesitate to call.
Thanks for taking this on."
After delegating a task, you must review and monitor progress to ensure successful completion by checking in
regularly,providingongoingsupportandguidance and showing your appreciation. You should check in regularly to
make sure that the other person has everything needed to do the work. At the same time, you can learn how the
work is going and identify and head off potential problems.
To monitorprogress,youneedtostickto the regularcheck-inpointsyouoriginallysetupinyourmonitoringplan.By
checking in only at these established points, you don't imply any lack of trust in the other person and you avoid
hovering. Using open-ended questions will get you the detailed information you need.
For example,insteadof asking"IseverythinggoingOK?"ask "What has been going well so far?" or "What problems
have you run into?" Instead of asking "Do you need anything?" ask "What additional resources would help you?"
Providingsupportandguidance meansbeingavailable withoutjumpinginandmicromanagingatevery opportunity.
And when you say "I'm available for help if you need it" you've got to mean it.
When the person comes to you for help, be patient and take the time to find out what the person really needs.
Supportingthe personyoudelegatedtoissimilartomentoringandcoaching.Whenproblemsarise,youwanttogive
the person the time and opportunity to deal with them rather than instantly stepping in.
You should also show appreciation as the task is being completed. Something as simple as saying "Thank you for
doingsucha goodjob"can helpmotivate people to be more helpful, and make them more effective in the future.
You may alsowantto considerrewardingprogressateachfollow-upmeeting.Andwhenyoudo so, do it in public, if
possible.
Delegatingeffectivelyislargelyamatterof communicatingthe informationyou've developedduringplanning. To do
this,allowenoughtime fordelegatingthe task,communicate all necessarydetails,andchecktobe sure you've been
understood. After delegating, the person to whom you've delegated owns the responsibility for successful
completion.Asmuch as possible, you must focus on outcomes rather than methods and allow the other person to
decide the bestwayto carry out the task.After delegating a task, you want to ensure the person succeeds. You can
monitorprogressbycheckinginregularly,providingongoingsupportandguidance, and showing your appreciation.
JOB AID
PLANNING YOUR DELEGATION
Purpose: Use this job aid for a summary of the key points associated with planning to delegate.
Decide what to delegate
Most managerial tasks can be delegated but some cannot. When deciding which can be delegated, consider how
factors such as time and quality come into play.
Tasks that cannot be delegated fall into three categories:
 critical tasks – tasks that you and your superiors consider vital should not be delegated
 management-specifictasks – these include personnel andpaymatterssuchas hiring,disciplining,evaluating,
promoting, and terminating employees
 tasks involving confidential information – many managerial tasks involve sensitive or confidential
information, so it would be inappropriate to delegate them to non-managers

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Choosing the person to delegate to
Afterdecidingonthe taskto be delegated,youmustselect the right person to delegate a task to. This is primarily a
matter of analyzing three factors: skills, motivation, and workload:
 skills – Choose someone who either has the necessary skills and experience to get the job done or who is
capable of learning the necessary skills in time to complete the task.
 motivation –Delegate tosomeone who is motivated to complete the task, either out of a desire to help or
because of interest in the job itself.
 workload – Delegate to someone who has the time. Delegating can be counterproductive when a person's
current workload won't allow success.
Deciding on the information needed
The appropriate amount of information is easily defined. Provide enough information for the individual to
successfully complete the job to your satisfaction. As a rule you should always include information on:
 nature of the task – provide a brief overview of what needs to be done and why
 standards – be clear about the results you expect and standards the work must meet
 constraints – letthe personknowaboutany limitsonauthorityandresources,aswell as the milestones and
deadlines for completion
TIPS FOR DELEGATING
Purpose: Use this job aid for a summary of the key points associated with delegating tasks.
Six tips for better delegating
Allow enough time
Despite your busy schedule, you must allow enough time for delegating the task.
 Give the process of delegating your full attention and make sure the other person does the same.
 Organize yourschedule toallowforanunhurriedandthoroughmeeting,where youexplainthe task, convey
the essential information, discuss it, respond to questions, and check to make sure the person fully
comprehends.
 Allow plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Communicate all necessary details
Approach this aspect of delegating by asking yourself, "What would someone who has never done this job before
need to know?"
 Explain both what needs to be done and why the task is important.
 Err on the side of providing too much information rather than too little.
 Note that insome situations,youmayonlyneedabrief overview whilein others you might want to provide
a detailed written description.
 Recognize thatthe level of detail toprovidedependsgreatlyonthe person,theirskills,andthe complexityof
the task.
 Provide all necessary background information the person requires to do a good job.
 Explain the results you expect and the standards that must be met.
 Explain the deadlines involved and any constraints that apply as well as how flexible or firm they are.
 Provide the rationale behind any requirements and how the task fits in to the bigger picture.
 Explain how progress monitoring will take place.
 Don't assume other people have the same understanding of a task.
 Let the personknowaboutany limitsonauthorityandresourcesaswell asthe milestonesand deadlines for
completion.
Focus on outcomes
Avoid imposing your methods on the person you've delegated to. Give them freedom to act.
 Let the person decide how to achieve the results you need.
 Onlydiscussmethodsif some things are currently working well and others aren't, if certain procedures are
required, or if the person you are delegating to is inexperienced.
Check understanding
You can only determine understanding if you get comprehensive answers to your questions.
 Ask open-ended questions to ensure understanding.

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 Ask for a summary as another way of getting a comprehensive answer.
 Encourage questions from the person you're delegating to.
Provide encouragement
People need to feel you trust them and that they are likely to succeed.
 Close your initial meeting on a positive note.
 Let the person know you trust them and you're confident.
 Thank them for taking on the task.
 Offer to be available for further help if needed.
 Showappreciationasthe task isbeingcompleted.Thankthe person,rewardprogressatfollow-upmeetings,
and give public praise.
Review and monitor progress
Passing responsibility for a task to someone is no guarantee of results. You must keep some control to ensure
success while allowing the person the opportunity to deliver on their own.
 Checkinonlyat regularlyscheduledintervals.Stickingtothe schedule helps avoid the impression of lack of
trust.
 Provide ongoing support and guidance. When you say you are available, be available.
 Use open-ended questions to learn how the work is going and head off potential problems.
 Whenproblemsarise,helpthe personrecognizethemandimplementsolutions rather than stepping in and
taking over.
 Show your appreciation.