Why Delegation is Important

Delegation is important for 1) efficiency and 2) development. As shown in the introduction to the module, the chairman of the senior retreat committee involved his committee. This involvement led not only to the team’s efficiency, but also to the contribution of every team member, increasing everyone’s development.

Efficiency

Delegation improves efficiency when it allows work to be transferred to people whose skills are a better match for the work. You are in charge of planning and strategizing the next steps for your team. When your teammates are able to carry out most of the routine activities required of your team, it will allow you the time and effort needed to plan for your team’s next move. As experienced by the leader of the LL2, this efficiency may also lessen your stress.


Development

As a team leader, you possess important skills and abilities that you can pass on to your team members. The best way of doing this is to coach them in the new skills and then delegate tasks to them so that they may use those new skills. Delegating is a great way of encouraging your team members to develop themselves and for you to develop coaching and mentoring skills.

 

Definition of Delegation

Delegation is assigning responsibility and authority to someone in order to complete a clearly defined and agreed upon task while you retain ultimate responsibility for its success. Delegation incorporates empowering your teammates through effective leadership, and may be directed in any direction and used in any organization.

Empowerment

Empowerment means letting others become the experts, even if this means that they will surpass your abilities. In this way, you will encourage your team members to take a personal interest in their own development and your team’s success. The senior retreat chairman empowered the committee, which led to the success of the retreat.

Leadership

In the director's introduction, the leader for the LL2 did not realize that becoming a leader meant that she had to give up some of her identity since she was going to be planning and coaching instead of doing. That leader tried to accomplish every task without the help of her team. It is important that your team members learn how to accomplish tasks on their own. When they successfully complete their assigned task, it will encourage them to take on new tasks with confidence.

Delegating Up

As a Park Scholar, you will frequently work with faculty members, administrative staff, and community leaders. You must learn to delegate tasks to them and follow up on their progress. Delegation is not just directed downward. Whichever direction you will be delegating tasks, follow the process discussed in this training module in order to best prepare your team for success.

Definition of “Organization”

In this training module, the use of the term ‘organization’ serves to describe any type of team, committee, class, service organization, program, or company for which you are volunteering or working. You can use delegation in any of these settings.

 

Training Outline and Learning Objectives

This training module will guide you through the process of delegation, including:

  • Why people typically do not delegate.
  • Why delegation is important.
  • What should and should not be delegated.
  • To whom you should delegate.
  • How to prepare to delegate.
  • How to choose the right task to go with the right team member.
  • How to provide helpful and effective feedback.


Upon completion of this training, you should be able to:

  • Recognize when and why you should delegate.
  • Know what types of tasks are best to pass on to your team.
  • Make a list of tasks and the right people to do them.
  • Give clear instructions to your teammates.
  • Provide support, encouragement, and valuable feedback.
  • Feel comfortable allowing others to take on tasks for which you are ultimately responsible while allowing them the freedom to complete the task in their own way.

The first step in the delegation process is to recognize the common barriers to delegation. These barriers can come from you, your teammates, or your situation. The next section will teach you how to identify these barriers in order to overcome them and reap the full benefits of delegation.

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