Introduction to Delegation

One of the greatest flaws in any manager, no matter how much experience that person might have or what the size of the company is—a 10-person shop or a global behemoth with tens of thousands of employees—is trying to do too much themselves. Indeed, injecting yourself into every management decision and micromanaging every situation is not only unrealistic, particularly in a growing organization, it can actually be harmful to the enterprise. The most successful managers and executives know where their skills are best applied, focusing on the tasks for which they add the most value. This is why delegating is one of the most important management skills you can establish, but most people don’t delegate well.

In this video course, designed for new managers and supervisors or even experienced ones who need to learn to “let go,” you’ll see how effective delegation can save you time, develop your team’s individual skills, allow you to groom a successor, and motivate your team. You will learn when it is appropriate to delegate, what to delegate, to whom to delegate, and how to delegate. Whether you are leading a team on a project or you’re the company owner, this video course will examine the steps to effective delegation and discuss some of the problems (and solutions) that can result from not delegating properly. When it’s up to you to ensure the success of your project, or an entire company, the appropriate delegation skills can be among your most valuable assets.

What you’ll learn—and how you can apply it

At the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Describe the steps involved in delegating work
• Explain the types of tasks that you should delegate
• List the things to consider before you delegate
• Explain how to follow-up after you delegate an assignment

Prerequisites:

• Experience as a manager or supervisor is helpful, but not required

Materials or downloads needed in advance:

• Fill out the questionnaire on for your own self-evaluation purposes

Further resources:

• Read Chapter 6 “Typical Problems and How to Solve Them” from The Busy Manager’s Guide to Delegation

  This resource will provide you with a good understanding of what to do when typical types of problems come up when delegating

• Read Chapters 3 “Giving and Receiving Feedback” and Chapter 4 “Dealing with Poor Performance” from The Art of IT Management: Practical Tools, Techniques and People Skills

  These Chapters demonstrate tips on communication and feedback

• Read Chapter 6 “Delegating in Other Situations” from Delegating for Business Success

  This is a good resource for handling a variety of situations