You have been asked to supervise an intern or fresh colleague on a project you are familiar with. According to you, the tasks s/he will perform are simple even though they may take some time. However, the intern keeps coming back with tons of basic questions and imperfect implementations. You feel it is becoming a burden on your own tasks. For projects lasting more than a few weeks, you will find yourself with this big dilemma: let the intern learn and rise through the challenges or do the work yourself to get rid of the annoyance. Though the person has been put under your guidance. What about using such opportunities for raising leaders?
There is a difference between being able to do everything and doing everything. Every day, professionals received tasks and challenges that raise their competencies and abilities to solve a wide range of problems. Then comes a time you will be able to do everything in your field of responsibility. The wider the field, the busier you are. You are probably very good at your job, achieving high quality results. Unfortunately possibilities to grow beyond your current zone of influence and develop professionally are impeded.
By assigning you a person to supervise, your organisation is providing a growth opportunity. By allowing other people to acquire know-how on practices that you master, they are diffusing your it throughout the business and opening spaces for you to grow. The experience will reveal strengths and weaknesses of the working process and/or the people working on the project. Correcting process related errors will improve productivity and quality of the outcomes. The human made ones allow various kind of correction which will raise the fresh comer to the level of field seasoned professional. Because you are present, chances are that the consequences of the mistakes will be limited as you can help resolve them. Hence technical expertise, knowledge acquisition, skills honing, organisational management will become some of the many elements you will be able dedicate newly found extra time on your hand; allowing you to venture in new territories while the work keeps being performed at high level.
Importance of Delegation
Delegation is not just a management technique for freeing up the someone’s time. Delegation is a very helpful aid for personal development and succession planning. It allows everyone to gain experience and take responsibilities. It’s how we grow in the job.
As a provider of delegated tasks, you must ensure delegation happens properly. Here are some delegation tips:
Define the task
Make sure the task is clear for the person having to work on it. Very often, this may lead to writing a process which used to be performed or ensure comprehension and compliance if it was already written.
Assess ability and training needs
Ensure that the person can do the task and understand the expected result. If something is lacking, ensure s/he receive proper knowledge transfer or training.
State required results
Clarify understanding by getting the other person to provide feedback to the task. Make sure they know what is important and expectation leading towards a successful job.
Agree on deadlines
Ensure that the milestones and deadlines are clear and expected outcomes understood. You and the person on the task should agree on methods of checking and controlling work progression. Failing to agree in advance will cause the monitoring to seem like interference or lack of trust.
Feedback on result
It is essential to let the person know how they are doing, and whether they have achieved their aims. If not, you must review with them why things did not go to plan, and deal with the problems. You must absorb the consequences of failure, and pass on the credit for success.
Delegation marks a style of management which raises leaders; allowing any staff to use and develop their skills, and knowledge, to their full potential. It helps propagate best-practices throughout the organisation saving time and other resources. It contributes to increasing the capacity individuals, and the organisation, of taking ever more complex tasks for the advancement of the business. Apply Now and join the program that will prepare you to increase efficiency of your team and yourself.
