Ten Tips on Delegating Work

One way to manage your time more effectively is to delegate work to others on your staff or to contract workers you hire for specific projects. How often I hear such comments as, "It takes too much time to delegate." "If I delegate the work there is no guarantee that the work will be done properly. It is just easier to do it myself." "No one can do this as well as I can." If others who have a lower hourly rate can do the work while you focus on the work only you can do, your cash flow will be better because you can do more of the work that only you can do.

1. Be specific about what you want done. Be clear as to the purpose of the delegated work and what kind of results you expect. Take the time to answer the person's questions. This takes less time than redoing work.

2. Set a realistic deadline for the delegated work and make sure that this is workable for the person to whom you are delegating the work.

3. Give the person the information he/she will need and point them toward other resources he/she may use to complete the work

4. Be available for questions and require periodic progress reports.

5. If you are delegating because you have so much to do that you do not have time to give explicit instructions, be sure to delegate to a member of your team or a contract worker who can do the work with a minimum of direction. Perhaps they have done this job before or they have had experience with similar projects.

6. Once you delegate to someone who is well equipped to handle the task, allow the person space to be imaginative in his/her approach and to take the initiative to do something differently or do it in a bigger way (as long as you get the results you are looking for!).

7. If you want to use the delegation of the task (problem) as a way to develop a member of your staff or a contract worker, leave time in your schedule to provide enough detail as to how to go about getting the task done as is necessary for that particular person. (Developing a team member means eventually you will not have to give as much direction.)

8. Have a system to report back to you so that you get feedback without being constantly interrupted during your day. Have a list of critical dates so that you get the feedback regularly.

9. Keep a log of all the projects you delegate and their status. Update the log as you get feedback.

10. Give credit and praise for the successful completion of the task or solution of the problem.

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker's Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are attorneys, business owners, sole practioners, and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

---

I WANT IT NOW - 10 Tips for Freight & Drayage at Trade Shows

Gas prices continue to go through the roof and increased... Read More

Seven Questions to Improve Your Business, Your Relationships, and Your Life

Seven Questions to Improve Your Business, Your Relationships, and Your... Read More

Shaking Your Money Tree: Seven Ways to Make Quick Cash

Does your business have a money tree you can shake... Read More

No More Lists To Remember

Are the endless lists of Top-7's and Top-10's taxing your... Read More

Top Ten Reasons to Write a Sales Letter for Each Product? - Part 2

Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know... Read More

How To Finally Unlock Your True Potential And Discover The Secret To Lasting Success

Did you know that there is one critical difference between... Read More

Sales Marketing: 10 Tips On How To Promote Yourself And Generate Sales

A lot of people are insecure about buying something or... Read More

Seven Ways to Get the Most Out of the Next Training You Attend

Sometime soon you will be attending some training. It may... Read More

The Top Ten Ways to Stop Procrastinating Now

10. Procrastination Condemnation - Lose the Labels! All those things... Read More

Performance-Stress-Motivation: 7 Sanity Saving Business Boundaries

The lack of strong boundaries is one of the chief... Read More

The 10 Biggest Mistakes People Make Managing Organisational Performance

mistake #1: rely just on financial statementsProfit and loss, revenue... Read More

Surviving When Clients Arent Rolling In

As the holiday season starts to settle in, the workload... Read More

Checklist for Hiring a Private Investigator

Looking for an old friend? Want to know if your... Read More

How To Use Bartering To Gain An Advantage Over Your Competition

If you have a business on the Internet you should... Read More

Top Seven Questions for Starting Projects More Effectively

We all are project managers. Some of us manage projects... Read More

7 Super Ways To Drum Up More Sales

1. Use subheads throughout your ad copy.Subheads are great to... Read More

Management, Balance & Time - 10 Tips for Managing Overwhelm in your Business

How many of us have been in a position where... Read More

The Top Ten Reasons to Hire a Coach

1. You have a big goal and you want someone... Read More

Media Training: Seven Ways to Instantly Improve Your Media Interviewing Skills

Imagine if you were going to address a stadium full... Read More

Bookkeeping Techniques For Morons

Please don't think I am calling you a "moron" to... Read More

My 7 Most Important Business Lessons

Millions of people start new small businesses in the United... Read More

7 Reasons You Want Referral Business and How to Get Them

Studies have proven that there is one reason why people... Read More

7 Secrets to Writing Inventory Procedures

What would You do with $1,000,000With $1 Million would you:?... Read More

10 Things To Do Before You Start Your Business

If you are thinking of starting a new business, or... Read More

How to Become an Expert in Your Niche Business

What is a niche business? A niche business is one... Read More

Start Your Own Website in 10 Easy Steps

If you're a beginner, starting a website doesn't have to... Read More

Top Ten Things to Do to Make your Signature File Sell

Always include a powerful signature on every email you send... Read More

Top 10 Ways Websites Makes Me Suffer

I believe some people create and publish websites for the... Read More

The Lazy Person Secrets To Overnight Wealth And Fame

There are so many simple, yet really sure-fire ways of... Read More

Seven Steps to Achieving Your Dream

"Vision is the spectacular that inspires us to carry out... Read More

Business Attire: 10 Tips to Perfect Your Look

Being appropriately dressed is essential in making good impressions in... Read More

Entrepreneurs - 7 Business Mistakes You Must Avoid

Many mistakes can be made in business and if you... Read More

Reminders For Running A Better Business

The following tips are from an article we contributed to... Read More