Discussion Forum > Delegation
Interestingly, I was just listening a couple of days ago to the chaps from Manager Tools regarding the topic of effective delegation: http://www.manager-tools.com/2005/08/the-art-of-delegation
There's also a simple pdf worksheet/checklist available in there.
There's also a simple pdf worksheet/checklist available in there.
February 12, 2012 at 17:57 |
Hugo Ferreira
Hugo Ferreira
For me, the most critical key to delegating as a manager is having a good system for follow up. You quickly develop a good sense of which staff members can self manage effectively and which ones need constant follow up.
February 12, 2012 at 21:00 |
therevisionguy
therevisionguy
I find it's helpful to set up regular 1:1 meetings with everyone to whom I have delegated anything (and with everyone who has delegated anything to me).
The typical cadence and duration of the meeting depends on the amount of work that needs to be discussed.
Meetings are usually virtual (phone and screen sharing) but can also be face to face.
Then I just keep a running agenda for that person, in the form of a OneNote section. Whenever something comes up related to those delegated items, I make a little note (a OneNote page) and toss it into that section.
When I did this on paper, I just kept a page in my notebook, for each person, usually in the back of the notebook, and would write the items there.
Sometimes we cancel the 1:1 meetings if there's nothing to talk about. But having the meeting scheduled on the calendar ensures that we do at least have to touch base on a regular basis.
I typically have 1:1s like this with
- my wife - daily in the evening for 5 to 20 minutes, whenever we can grab some time
- my daughter - we grab some time on the weekends
- my boss - regularly scheduled meetings, an hour every week
- my team members for whom I am the project manager - weekly meetings for ~30 minutes each
- two other coworkers - one is one hour per week, another is 30 minutes every other week
It usually takes some experimentation to find the right cadence and meeting duration.
The typical cadence and duration of the meeting depends on the amount of work that needs to be discussed.
Meetings are usually virtual (phone and screen sharing) but can also be face to face.
Then I just keep a running agenda for that person, in the form of a OneNote section. Whenever something comes up related to those delegated items, I make a little note (a OneNote page) and toss it into that section.
When I did this on paper, I just kept a page in my notebook, for each person, usually in the back of the notebook, and would write the items there.
Sometimes we cancel the 1:1 meetings if there's nothing to talk about. But having the meeting scheduled on the calendar ensures that we do at least have to touch base on a regular basis.
I typically have 1:1s like this with
- my wife - daily in the evening for 5 to 20 minutes, whenever we can grab some time
- my daughter - we grab some time on the weekends
- my boss - regularly scheduled meetings, an hour every week
- my team members for whom I am the project manager - weekly meetings for ~30 minutes each
- two other coworkers - one is one hour per week, another is 30 minutes every other week
It usually takes some experimentation to find the right cadence and meeting duration.
February 13, 2012 at 23:50 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
I'm a beginner at this. Recently it's seemed to me that by far the most effective way to use your time is to first of all be on top of these relationships. Which means clearly telling each what they need to do, and learning what you need to do, and determining how soon you should have your part ready. Also indicating when you want their part or finding out when it can be done is important.
So bottom line, your priority is to keep your contacts operating smoothly, by preparing for each next encounter in the order they will come up. It seems to me this is an overriding factor in Mark's concept of prioritizing by urgency.