Delegation: Finding Success By Keeping Control

'The buck stops here'. How many times have we heard that? It's a straightforward principle: I'm in charge, I'm in control, I will deal with it. It's also a leadership principle, a statement of being at the top and below or behind none other, of being the end of the line for any questions, issues or complaints that may arise. The buck may be passed around, but there is a point at which it stops and an individual who will pass it no further.

Is that you? Are you the buckstopper, the line-ender, the top of your organisation or department's tree? If so, then you'll be aware of how much pressure can bear down upon that position, and how much work you might end up being lumbered with if you don't find a successful method for dealing with it all. Taking on too much - or allowing too much to be put upon you - can be harmful both to your health and to that of the business: the extra stress and strain certainly isn't good for you, whilst the limits on your time make it much harder to ensure that all the tasks are completed successfully and effectively.

Delegation is the solution. At first glance, this might seem like passing the buck that was supposed to come to a standstill on your desk; however, it's important to not look at delegation this way, and to not be afraid of delegating duties. Passing the buck or shirking responsibilities are passive actions, they're decisions intended to avoid work - whereas delegation is an active move, with the aim of increasing productivity and successful completion of tasks.

Know your work, know yourself

What makes delegation active rather than passive? Identifying the best solution to a problem, and a method that can be relied upon to produce the most effective results. What this definitely does not involve is simply passing on any work that lands on your desk. Instead, it demands a thorough understanding of the task in hand, and also of your own abilities and limitations. Accepting your weaknesses is every bit as important as believing in your strengths, and when work comes your way you must be able to assess clearly and impartially whether or not it's a job that you are best able to carry out successfully.

Skill matching

Of course, it's not enough just to decide that a piece of work doesn't fit within your own skillset - you also need to recognise which of your colleagues will be able to take it on. To this end, it's essential that you're aware of the competences of those colleagues, and be confident in matching their skills to the demands of the job.

However, just because a colleague is the most suited to doing a particular task, it shouldn't be taken as read that the job needs to be passed to them right away. You'll need to be aware of schedules within the department or organisation - because piling extra work onto someone who hasn't the time to complete it is every bit as bad as allowing it all to rest on your own shoulders.

Delegation in action

Having clarified which work is to be delegated and to whom, you'll inevitably need to communicate this decision to those concerned. Don't leave room for any confusion: it should be clearly stated from the beginning what needs to be done, what the intended results are to be, what the timeframe is expected to be, and what responsibilities your colleague has. This last is critical, and it is always your role, as manager, to decide what level of responsibility should be given. The same is true of authority: do they understand which decisions they can take themselves, and which have to be referred back to yourself? As manager, you should always ensure that whoever is taking on the work you delegate completely understands the situation you're creating from the outset.

And you both need to ensure that you learn from the process, that you keep a record of the positives and learn from any failings. Don't forget, once the task is completed, to encourage feedback from your colleague - and remember that they're not just reporting on their own role, but also on yours. The same should be true for you; be aware of your own successes and failures, and also take time to discuss your colleague's performance, raise concerns and praise achievements.

What happens before, during and after the delegating process are all important, and should all be focused on to produce the most successful results. It's certainly worth considering a short training course, to hone your skills as a delegator, and to make sure you're always in control of your organisation or department's workload. The buck might stop with you, but that doesn't mean you and your colleagues can't work as a team to carry it on its way.