Posted on: Monday, March 3, 2003

Key to delegating is to handle it right

By Anita Bruzzese
Gannett News Service

Delegate.

Depending on who you are in the organizational wheel, this word means different things. If you are the one being delegated to, you think it's another way of saying, "Dump the work on me you don't want to do." If you're the one doing the delegating, you may think it's another way of saying, "This is never going to get done right, and I'm probably going to end up doing it myself."

It's true that delegation can end up making someone miserable, but it doesn't have to be that way, says Gene Griessman, a time management expert.

If you're a manager, for example, you must make sure that you delegate to the right person, he says. You don't, for example, give a critically important task to someone you've never asked before, or ask a nontechnical person to deal with glitches in the computer system.

"It's better not to delegate if you're going to give it to the wrong person," Griessman says. "Because either it's not going to get done, or it's going to get done incorrectly. And finally, when you do get it back, you will have damaged your relationship with that person."

What if you're the person receiving the delegation? Griessman says the key is to keep others aware of your other commitments so it's clear you may be too busy, or the job must be postponed until after a deadline. Of course, that may be more difficult if the person giving the assignment is the boss.

"Some bosses just keep heaping it on, and that's when you've got to say, 'I'd be happy to do that. However, I'm working on this and this, so if I can't do them all, which one should I give priority to?"'

Griessman says some bosses may ask you to make the decision, and in that case, you say, "This is what I'm going to give priority to. Please let me know if something changes."

He also advises that you constantly keep a pad and pen handy to list your assignments with a priority number. "I know of one case where a person had all these things listed, and when the boss saw that, he decided the person just had too much to do and hired a temp to help out."

One reason the word "delegate" prompts such strong feelings is that it often is seen as another interruption in a busy workday. In other words, if you are going to ask someone to take another task, then your chances of success are better if you have the person's full attention and don't interrupt them on deadline.

"Those working together can come up with some clues to give others that they don't want to be interrupted. Maybe they leave an office door halfway closed, or they put up a smiling face in their cubicle to show they are free to talk, or a scowling face to show they're very busy and can't be interrupted," Griessman says. "Limiting interruptions is the most critical part of managing your time effectively."

Also, Griessman says that when you do approach someone about taking on additional work, you should do it in private, if possible. You can outline why you think they'd be right for the job, the faith you have in their abilities, and why the project is important.

And don't forget: A task well done deserves reward or recognition, either in a thank-you note, a message in a personnel file, or appreciation given publicly.

That way, delegation is no longer a dirty word for anyone.