If you're a supervisor, you can't possibly handle all of the 
work of your department directly. That's why effective delegating
is one of the most vital skills you can possess. In fact, it's 
absolutely crucial to your success.  

Consider these words by steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie: "The 
secret of success is not in doing your own work, but in 
recognizing the right man to do it." 

So what exactly is delegating? It's simply the act of entrusting 
an activity to another person. More specifically, delegation is 
the downward transfer of formal authority from superior to 
subordinate. You empower an employee to act for you, while you 
remain accountable for the outcome. 

Effective delegation involves the following process: working 
with an employee to establish goals, granting them sufficient 
authority and responsibility to accomplish the goals, often 
giving them the freedom to decide how the goals will be achieved, 
being available as a resource to help them with the assignment, 
and evaluating and rewarding their performance. 


Benefits of Delegating

If you're a new supervisor, delegation can be a major challenge 
because you might be apprehensive about giving up control or 
lack confidence in others' abilities. But effective delegating 
offers a variety of benefits. It will free up some of your time, 
enhance your leadership skills, plus help subordinates expand 
their capabilities - all of which will benefit your company 
overall.


Nine Steps to Effective Delegating

To help you delegate more effectively, here are some suggestions 
from Thomas R. Horton, the author of Delegation and Team 
Building: No Solo Acts Please, and other experts: 

1. Decide what tasks need to be delegated. Delegate any task - 
   from administrative to technical - that someone else can 
   perform better. Hand off jobs you dislike the most, that are 
   least critical to the performance of your job or that will 
   provide valuable experience for subordinates. But never 
   delegate any task that would violate someone else's privacy.
 
2. Choose the right person for the job.  Assess the skills and 
   capabilities of subordinates and assign the task to the most 
   appropriate person. Be sure to delegate the entire task 
   because this gives the subordinate added responsibility and 
   increases their motivation.  

3. Define the scope of the work and set expectations.  Give 
   detailed explanations for what the job involves; including 
   all key points. Provide information on what, why, when, who, 
   where and how and clearly specify your preferred results. 
   Write this information down. 

4. Set deadlines.  Employees will usually feel more responsible 
   for a task when they're held accountable. With no deadline, 
   people tend to procrastinate and lose motivation. So help 
   delegates set reasonable deadlines. 

5. Identify methods for follow-up.  Work with your employees to 
   set a time for review of performance, such as a meeting to 
   check progress or a phone call to see if they have any 
   questions. The follow-up should be mutually determined at 
   the start. This way, subordinates know you are not trying 
   to micromanage, but instead are trying to determine how 
   work is progressing.  

6. Train delegates, if necessary. Make sure delegates know how 
   to do the assignment. If they don't, provide the necessary 
   training. The initial training may take more time than doing 
   it yourself. But it will benefit you and them in the long run.   

7. Delegate responsibility and authority - not methods.  As a 
   leader, you need to grant your delegates the responsibility 
   to make everyday decisions. Have trust in them and try to 
   give them the freedom to work without you looking over their 
   shoulders. Also, let subordinates complete tasks in the 
   manner they choose, as long as the results are what you have 
   specified. Otherwise, they might feel unmotivated and 
   powerless if they have no room to think creatively and act 
   as they see best.  

8. Evaluate performance.  After the assignment has been 
   completed, evaluate results, not methods. Evaluate the 
   task based on the expectations and standards set when it was 
   delegated. If certain aspects were left out when you initially
   defined the job, don't hold delegates responsible. Work with 
   your employees to determine how you and they feel about how 
   the performance turned out and how it can be improved. 

9. Acknowledge accomplishments and provide recognition.  Always 
   give recognition and praise for the work delegates have done. 
   By recognizing their efforts and letting them know you 
   appreciate them, they will take greater pride in their work 
   and may be more willing to help with assignments in the 
   future.