Are you a master of delegation?

March 31, 2014 at 12:00 AM
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Delegation is great, if it's done right. Giving up your control, philosophy and initial concept, however, is not. In order for delegation to work, the people being delegated to must have the same understanding of the situation and the same goals, or it just won't work.

I hear so much frustration from business owners who manage underlings. And the reason for that frustration is often miscommunication about such things as details and direction. It's a common error.

The concept behind delegation is fairly simple. You hand over a task to someone else. But, if you want delegated tasks carried out properly, you must connect with the other person to make sure she sees things from your perspective. Delegation can be as simple as dictating, but in today's world of collaboration and empowerment, successful delegation may take a little more time.

When delegating, do you give all the information needed, or do you expect the other individual to be able to fill in the blanks? Sometimes, I neglect to take the time to give my staff members all the details and background about a project. And when I do forgo that extra five minutes, I end up spending 20 feeling frustrated by the miscommunication and 60 cleaning up the mess—which was my fault, not theirs!

So this week, when you delegate tasks, take that extra few minutes to do it right—and see the difference it can make.

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Maribeth Kuzmeski is the founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. For more information, go to www.redzonemarketing.com

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