As a manager you know that a good way to demonstrate your suitability for the job is to delegate tasks to others. This ensures that you apply maximum effort to the project, and it shows your own manager that you are on the ball when it comes to spreading out the workload. But any tasks that come in should be considered carefully before being delegated

Imagine that a new task comes in marked 'urgent', your thoughts turn immediately towards delegation. The dependable Elsie happens to be in your office at the time, so you pass on the new task to her and then put your feet up on the desk and tune in to Bargain Hunt. Oh that life was so simple.

A trait of a good delegator is being aware of the best person to take responsibility for a particular task, and whether or not delegating at all is worthwhile. Here are some points to consider.

Part 1: Delegate to succeed

Take the rough with the smooth. One way to alienate your team is to cherry pick which tasks you delegate. Choosing all of the best jobs for yourself while delegating the less pleasant ones to your team is a blueprint for failure. You should share the good and the bad jobs between all to avoid breeding contempt.

Watch your deadlines. Extra care should be taken when delegating time-sensitive tasks. You should be confident that the person you delegate such a task to has the required level of competence to finish the job on time. Remember, delegating authority does not mean delegating accountability.

Know your role. When delegating a task it is your responsibility to ensure that the person you are assigning the task to is aware of exactly what is expected of them. Be clear in your instructions, even print them off if necessary, and leave no room for confusion or ambiguity.

Don't just be clear on your part, but make sure your team members know exactly how much authority they hold in each delegated task. It is good that they can make some decisions themselves, but you should make it clear to them when they are out of their depth and your help should be sought.

Part 2: When not to delegate in order to succeed

It may be that the person best suited to performing the task is you. Don't look at delegating for the sake of it, as though it was a necessary function to keep the project on track. If you feel that you could do the job as well as anyone else, then step up to the plate. It would be hard to bear if you delegated a task you were quite capable of performing yourself, and the person who carried it out received high praise from the manager for their efforts; praise that could have gone to you. Judging when to delegate and when not to is a fundamental of good management.

Beware of partly-delegated tasks. As manager you will have access to some information that is unavailable to other members of your team. If a task comes in that requires accessing such information, you might be better off doing it yourself. If you delegate this task to someone who does not have access to such information, then the only way they can get that information is through you. This would result in frequent interruptions that would possibly cause the task to be completed in more time than if you did it yourself.

You should also be very careful not to delegate tasks that are confidential or sensitive. To give a couple of rather obvious examples, if you had to print off a batch of letters intended for workers at your own depot that warn of forthcoming redundancies, you would not delegate this task to the office gossip. Sensitivity is also important, and any known issues about a member of your team, health problems, marriage troubles etc, should be taken into consideration, lest an unsuitable task is delegated to them.

So to delegate or not, that is the question. The answer is not a simple one, but if you find it, and you delegate carefully and wisely, then you stand a greater chance of success.