Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Getting the right posture
• Part 2 of 2: Delegate appropriately

Whether you are a store manager, have a leadership position at a large company, or take care of your children at home, to get the best out of yourself and perform as efficiently as possible it is very important that you are able to share some of your responsibilities. to delegate.However, delegating can be quite tricky - on the one hand, you have to be firm with whoever you are delegating your responsibilities to, on the other, you also have to show that you trust him or her. In this article, you'll find the answers to many frequently asked questions about delegation, and we'll walk you step-by-step through the delegation process itself, so that you too can learn to delegate in a tactful and respectful manner.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Getting the right posture

1. Put your ego aside for a moment. A major mental bump on the road to delegation is the thought that if you want to get something done right, you better do it yourself. You are not the only person on the planet who can do it the right way. You are perhaps The only one who can do it well at this precise moment, but if you take the time to train someone, they will eventually be able to do it well. Maybe the other person can even do it faster or better than you and that is not only something you have to accept, but also something you have to welcome.
   • Think logically and realistically - can you do this work yourself? Will you have to work yourself to death to be able to combine this work with your normal responsibilities? If so, you better make sure to delegate some of your work. You don't have to be ashamed of it or feel like you're not good enough - you're actually doing your job more efficiently when you seek help when it's needed.
2. Don't wait for people to volunteer. If you have trouble delegating tasks, you may be suffering from mild so-called martyr syndrome - it may all get too much for you, and you often wonder why people never even offer to help you. Be honest with yourself - when they do, don't you turn down their help, more or less automatically or out of courtesy, most of the time? Are you wondering why they didn't push a little more? Do you feel that if your roles were reversed, you would probably help those others without hesitation? If you answered "yes" to these questions, you will need to work on your ability to control the situation. Take care of it yourself that you get the help you need too - and don't wait for the help to come to you, because it might not come at all.
   • Many people are not so aware of what another is going through, and there isn't much you can do to change them. For a moment, forget about the frustration you feel toward people who don't help themselves and remember that ultimately it's up to you to let them know what you need.
3. Stop seeing a request for help as a negative thing. Many people feel uncomfortable asking for help. You may feel guilty, or feel like a burden to others, or be ashamed of it, because (for some reason) you think you should be able to solve everything yourself.
4. Learn to trust others. If you are afraid of delegating because you think no one can do the job as well as you, remember two things: First, the fact is that with enough practice, almost anyone can get good at something, and second, you are maybe not as global talent as you might think. When you delegate work, you don't just free up time for yourself - you also give the person helping you a chance to practice a new skill or do a new kind of job. Be patient - if you give him or her enough time, your assistant will probably do the work you've delegated about as well as you could have done. Unless the work you delegate is very important, it probably won't be a problem if your assistant learns to do it well over time. If the work is very important, you better think carefully before you delegate it!
   • And even if you are indeed the best at the work you plan to delegate, realize that by delegating work you can do other things with your time. If at your office you are the best at installing hard drives, or performing some monotonous task, but you have an important presentation to prepare, then there is no problem at all getting the job done by an intern. have it refurbished. Better to prioritize tough, complex tasks - don't feel guilty about delegating relatively simple, monotonous tasks when you have more important things to do.

Part 2 of 2: Delegate appropriately

1. Get the ball rolling. The first step is the most difficult, but at the same time the most important. You need to take the plunge and ask someone to help you (or, if you are the supervisor, tell someone that he or she must Don't feel guilty about this - as long as you're polite, nice, and elegant, there's nothing rude about asking (or directing) someone to help you. Try to be kind and understanding while at the same time not losing sight of the seriousness of your request.
   • If you don't know how to specifically ask someone to do some of your work for you, try to keep it short and sweet. For example, say something like, "Hey, could I talk to you for a minute? I was wondering if you could help me install that big stack of hard drives we just got in. I can't because I'm out of the office today. . Can you help me? " Don't pressure the helper, just make sure he / she knows his or her help is needed.
   • Ask for help and you will (probably) get it too. Don't be afraid to delegate because you think you will come across as rude or commanding. Look at it like this: How do you feel when others ask you to do something for them? Do you feel insulted or treated unjustly? Or are you (normally) only too happy to help? Probably the latter is the case!
2. Don't take a decline personally. Sometimes people just really can't help you, even if they really want to - that's a shame, but true. This could be for a variety of reasons - the most common is that the person you are asking for help is already very busy with his or her own job. Don't take it too personally - just because someone can't (or won't) help you at that point doesn't mean they hate you. Most of the time it just means that the other person is either busy or too lazy for it - nothing more, nothing less.
   • If your request for help is declined, consider your options - usually you can say politely but urgently again that you really need the person's help (and this usually works especially well if you are the supervisor or someone otherwise with authority), you can ask someone else, or you can do the job yourself. If you really need help, don't be afraid to try options one and / or two!
3. Delegate the ultimate goal, not the procedure. This is the key to avoiding turning into the nightmare of what's known as a micromanager. Set clear guidelines for the type of outcome you expect, and show the other how to do it, but say that they can do it their own way, as long as it is done right and on time is done.
   • This is also smart because it not only saves you time, but also your nerves. What you want is to use the time you have set aside to do something more important, rather than worrying about your assistant's progress all the time.
4. Be prepared to have to train your assistant. In almost all cases, you will have to set aside some of your time to teach the person who is going to help you how to perform the task you have delegated to him or her, even if it is a relatively simple job. Keep in mind that processes that seem fairly straightforward and straightforward to you may not be that simple to someone who has never dealt with them. Be ready not only to explain to your assistant step-by-step the work you have delegated to him or her, but also to patiently answer any questions he or she is likely to want to ask you.
   • Think of the time you spend on training your assistant as a wise, long-term investment. By sacrificing a little bit of your time and helping the person to help you learn how to do the task properly, you will save time in the future that you might otherwise have spent correcting his or her mistakes. .
5. Determine what tools are needed to perform the task. You may have certain tools at your disposal that are necessary to perform the task, while the person to whom you entrust the task does not have access to them. Things like password-protected data, specialized devices, and certain other tools may be necessary to complete the task, so make sure your assistant can use whatever he or she needs to complete the task successfully. .
6. Understand that your helper cannot do more than one thing at a time. While your assistant is helping you, that person is not busy with his or her usual responsibilities. Remember, like you, your assistant probably has a busy schedule. Ask yourself the following question: What kind of work will he or she miss to do your job? When you delegate a task to someone, make sure you know the answer to this question.
7. Be patient. Either way, whoever you delegate to will make mistakes while learning to do the new task. That is part of the learning process, so include it in your planning. Do not delegate a task under the assumption that your assistant will do the job perfectly unless he or she already has demonstrable knowledge and experience in the area in question. If the outcome of a project is not quite the way you wanted it to be because your partner was unable to perform a completely new task that you perfectly delegated to him or her, then that is your fault, not his or her. Make sure that the person helping you can rely on you so that the delegated work can become an interesting learning experience for him or her, not something to fear.
   • If you train someone in something, you are investing. It will slow you down at first, but in the long run, it will increase productivity by leaps and bounds, because you approached the whole thing with a positive and realistic attitude.
8. Prepare for predictable problems. Set up backup plans and be ready to help should anything go wrong. Know what will happen if an important moment or a deadline is missed. Obstacles and unexpected challenges constantly arise whether you are at work or at home - even technology sometimes fails. Make sure your assistant can trust that if something unexpected comes up, you will understand and help him or her meet that deadline - don't put all the blame on your assistant at the first problem.
   • Plus, that's smart in a selfish way - if your assistant is afraid of being blamed for something, he or she will spend a lot more time safeguarding his or her own reputation than actually doing the job.
9. Acknowledge your assistant's help when he or she deserves it. Delegating tasks to someone else is necessary if you have to take on more and more responsibility. But it's counterproductive if you delegate a task, let your assistant work hard on it, and then take all the credit for yourself. Recognize and praise the efforts others have made on your behalf.
   • Never forget to mention the name of your assistant whenever you receive a compliment for a task you have received help with.
10. Say: "Thank you." When someone does something for you, it's important to thank them, recognize the importance of their help, and let the person who helped you know that they are appreciated. If you don't, you will look ungrateful, even though you may not be. Remember that people cannot read your mind. The chance that someone will help you again is much higher if he or she feels appreciated.
    • Be nice. With a simple token of recognition that comes straight from your heart, such as, "I couldn't have done it without you!" you can achieve a lot. If the work the other person did for you was very bulky or important, you might even consider treating them to dinner or drinks, or buying a thank you card or a small gift for them.