Intro
Have you ever heard your president, secretary or committee member say, “I have too much on my plate – can’t get around to that”?
You may have heard your boss, or the general manager say, “I’m too busy”.
If you are a flat-out president or a snowed-under secretary, this information will remind you that your committee won’t collapse if you don’t do everything – no one is indispensable!
This resource highlights some common-sense steps to ensuring your workload will be lighter, that your group won’t have members who just ‘make up the numbers’ and that it will be seen as an effective team.
Delegation is giving a job to someone, defining the parameters for accomplishing the job, and giving the person the authority to get the job done. Thus, delegating is never dumping.
Why delegate?
We all say it’s vital, so why don’t we do it? Do you hesitate to delegate for any of the following reasons?
Does delegation sometimes fail? Of course and it’s usually when we don’t prepare properly.
Delegation = proper preparation.
Here are steps you can follow to ensure that you prepare thoroughly before delegating:
What precise job (or part of a job) do you want done? Define it clearly (ideally, write it down).
What outcomes or results do you want? Identify them accurately.
Pick the right person for the job. Consider the following:
Having picked the right person:
Wrap up the agreement:
Former IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch said “The cemeteries are full of people who thought they were indispensable.” (The West Australian, 11 July 2001, p115)