Delegation

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will
surprise you with their ingenuity." -General George Patton

How can delegation help me?

• You will have time to spend on more important tasks
• Members will develop skills and feel more included in and vital to the organization
• You won't be doing tasks that are below your responsibility level
• The next time a similar task needs to be completed, someone else will have the skills to complete it
• You won't burn out
• It helps organizations run more smoothly

Attitudes in delegating

• Trust your members
• Allow for mistakes
• Accept that sometimes decisions will not reflect the way you would do it
• Give your people room to think creatively
• Respect your workers
• Be open minded to others' ideas
• Be willing to provide learning opportunities for your members

Methods for delegating

• Ask for volunteers
• Identify someone suited for a task and express your confidence in her/his ability to carry out the assignment
• Assign tasks; the person can always decline
• Equally distribute tasks; don't single out someone to do all of the grunt work and give someone else all of the interesting assignments

When to delegate

• When you have an enormous workload
• When a member has particular qualifications for a task
• When someone else can benefit from the responsibility
• When you need to give your attention to other matters
• When you find that details require too much of your time
• When someone expresses interest in a task
• When a program or activity is large scale

What to delegate

• Tasks that repeat themselves
• Minor decisions that need to be made frequently
• Time consuming details
• Tasks that can help prepare future leaders

Steps in the delegation process

1. Schedule time for reviewing the assignment
2. Organize the assignment and know what you want to be accomplished
3. Identify someone to complete the assignment and explain how you chose that person
4. Explain the purpose of the task and how it fits into the organization
5. Define the assignment in detail for the member; focus on results rather than method
6. Provide all needed information, resources, and guidelines
7. Discuss the worker's ideas, goals, and objectives regarding the task
8. Communicate expected quality levels
9. Establish how much guidance the worker needs
10. Direct the person accordingly
11. Set a target date for completion with the worker
12. Set up a method for assessing progress and follow it
13. valuate performance when the assignment is completed; discuss this with the worker
14. Express appreciation to the worker

What not to delegate

• Sensitive or controversial assignments
• Things you would not be willing to do yourself
• Assignments you will not be able to let go of
• Something that involves someone's personal feelings or confidentiality
• Tasks to someone for which she/he does not have the necessary skills to be successful
• Tasks to someone for which she/he is under- or over-qualified

Adapted from:
Mel Hughes, Perdue Memorial Union, Perdue University
"Delegation." Student Leader Handbook
"The Art of Delegating," Student Involvement, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
"The Components of Good Delegation." CSU Leadership materials based on materials from the University of Akron
"Delegation." C. Carlsen-Jones, SODC, University of Michigan, 1984.