Effective Delegation

Delegation is a non-negotiable ‘must’ for anyone who has a bigger job than they can accomplish on their own without help. All managers and leaders are dependent on other people to help them achieve their results. Being able to let go and delegate tasks to others can be one of the hardest managerial responsibilities. The temptation is just to do it yourself – after all you’re likely to do a much better and quicker job and let’s face it it’s going to take more time than it’s worth to explain to someone else how to tackle the task. This all too common view only leads to disaster – lack of delegation will lead to you slowly drowning in work. Tasks will become half-finished or poorly executed and you will end up with a disgruntled and demotivated team who are crying out to take on more responsibility.

Successful managers need the skills to delegate effectively – not only to help them achieve more but also to develop the full potential of their people.

Participants will learn to:

• Overcome the common barriers that prevent them from delegating
• Evaluate how well they currently delegate in their work environment
• Adopt a structured approach to delegation
• Identify appropriate tasks to delegate to the right team members
• Use delegation to create an empowered and motivated team

Suitable for those who have (or will have) the opportunity to delegate work to others and wish to increase their effectiveness in this essential skill.

Understanding Delegation

• Defining ‘effective delegation’
• The difference between delegating and dumping
• Why delegate?
• The many benefits of delegation
• Identifying and breaking down the barriers to delegation

Delegation at Work—A Structured Approach

• Applying a structured approach to help delegate effectively

Time Challenge

• An exercise in prioritising, delegating and time planning. Teams must decide which tasks to delegate and who to delegate them to.

Identifying Delegation Opportunities

• What can and can’t be delegated and why
• Using delegation to develop others: The ‘stretch’ but not ‘stress’ approach
• Opportunities for delegation past and present

Delegation and Empowerment

• Delegation with or without empowerment: The key difference
• Establishing appropriate levels of empowerment for each delegation
• Avoiding micro-managing

The Delegation Interaction

• Briefing effectively using a five stage process
• Handling objections and gaining commitment to delegation

Follow through and Feedback

• Reviewing progress using effective praise and constructive criticism

Delegation Skills Audit

• Assessing individual current delegation skills and practices over 6 key areas
• Creating a personal delegation skills profile using feedback from others

Personal Development Plan

• Action planning the transfer of learning to the workplace
• Participants build a personal development plan to improve their delegation skills.

“I have increased my awareness of how I currently delegate and now have a clear action plan to help me improve. The trainer had an excellent way of communicating the course, keeping a high level of interest.” Thanos Papanaklis, White Young Green

“The trainer was excellent – high energy and kept us on track – and we are a talkative crowd!” Bill Westwater, CEO, Xeros

“This training furthered my understanding of the tools to delegate effectively. The ability to empower is key. I will attempt to lead through questioning and involvement moving forward.” Greg Dickson, Associate Director, Turley

• Effective Time Management
• Effective Influencing Skills
• Coaching skills for Managers