Delegation is a process beyond mere manuals. It needs to be practiced for perfection. Effective delegation creates speed for the organisation, self development for superiors and high motivation for subordinates.
The stages of delegation.
Delegation was intended when actions were monitored as a part of training. It is usually found in deelgation that when When actions were not monitored and results were the focus, then delegation was good. When parameters were not considered and only deviations were monitored, delegation was most effective. To our surprise we found that this was beyond the scope of the delegation manual and was a skill that needed continuous honing.
The cycle of delegating effectively
It is important for a work taem to understand that delegation is necessary but at the same time if it was not done effectively it would hamper the performance of the whole team. Hence it is essential to establish a process of continuous delegation, issue by issue. This would not only make the transition smooth but also help in delegation of new responsibilities that would get added on subsequently.
Performance feedback and effective delegation
It is important to provide continuous feedback to team members on their progress and guide them towards higher performance. But, the area where most team leaders fail is in consolidating these inputs on a periodic basis. This results in an inability of the team member to perform at high levels in the leaders absence.
So, it is absolutely necessary for the team leader to spend time with each team member to take stock of performance.
He should discuss the member's achievement, distinct strengths displayed, areas of interest and performance against agreed result areas (along with feedback for deviations).
Preferably, this should be recorded and the company's expectations from the employee should be clearly communicated to him.
Ultimately, at the end of the year, the leader should rate his team members based on the strengths they have acquired and the results that they have delivered.
Plan your substitutes and tell them
The thought of losing authority with delegation in managers is strong. This welds them to their position and limits progress. To avoid falling into this trap, a leader should plan for succession.
He should ideally communicate to one of his team member the skills required to substitute his job. The leader should sit with his boss and an expert from the HR department and discuss his job profile.
He should combine their inputs into a skill set and document it. This document should be given to the possible successor and the leader should support, encourage and motivate him to achieve the skill set.
To conclude, you can grow only if you ensure both the growth of your subordinates and the sustainability of processes in the organisation. This method of delegation does both.