HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR A TASK
It is very important to choose the right person for a task in hand. The first few times, it will be a case of trial and error, but before long you should lean how better assess the skills, and therefore the person , needed for every situation that arises.
Making Quick Decisions
If a job must be completed in a hurry and you are can resist the impulse to do it yourself, you may be tempted o to commandeer the nearest available person. Occasionally these sudden demands can reveal unsuspected talents, but sometimes not with negative consequences.
If circumstances force you to make a quick decision and you have any choice at all, pick the person whose overall experience is most relevant. Bear in mind that the monitoring will have to be closer than usual.
Being Objective
For more considered, structured delegation, it is important that your assessment of a person’s suitability for a particular task is not clouded by irrational factors. For example, a predecessor or colleague may have influenced you by making an erroneous judgement based on prejudice, or you yourself may have gained a negative impression of somebody based based on a single unrepresentative incident. To ensure that you make your decision fairly and objectively, always use your written job definition to match the candidate’s skills and ability to the requirements of the task.
Evaluating Staff
Choosing the right person for a task requires careful assessment of experience and specific abilities. Different types of of tasks require different skills. For example, a job may demand speed over accuracy, or vice versa. The ideal candidate for a specific delegation may not exist – in which case, your choice will necessarily involve an element of compromise. Remember that a delegation can be used to train and develop a valued employee’s range and depth of skills with a view to future promotion.
Training Staff
If you cannot find enough suitably experienced or qualified staff, and new hirings are ruled out, the soft option is not to delegate at all. That choice is negative and self-defeating. It reflects failure to provide enough continuous staff training and development to fill identified future needs. Good training enables you to build people’s capability, which will often have remarkable results. The more skills each member of staff has, the greater your choice of potential delegates. Training also has beneficial effects on motivation as people feel more valued when you invest in their future.
Questions To Ask Yourself
Is there anybody who could, and should, be doing more important work?
Do my staff each have at least one task that will develop and improve their skills?
Are my staff multitasked, and if not, what am I doing to make them so?
Am I doing anything just because nobody else can?
Tips
Never accept a delegate’s own self-depreciating assessment.
Be sure that you are always available should a delegate require help on a given project.
En sure that staff do not take on too much work.
