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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