SSDP Leadership Webinar Part 2: Delegation

Leadership Webinar Series Part 2Practical Tips for Task Delegation with Drew Stromberg and Devon Tackels

SSDP Outreach Coordinators

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

7 Tips for Successful Delegation

• Analyze Your Needs First

• Explore Your Options

• Develop a Prioritized Assignment Plan

• Document Everything

• Use Technology

• Communicate Well and Often

• Cultivate Trust


Analyze Your Needs

• Knowing what to delegate and who you need on your team to do it effectively, requires a clear picture of everything you have on your plate.

• What do you want to accomplish?

• How will you do it?

• Who will you need to accomplish this task?

• When do you need this done?


Explore Your Options

• Before you can delegate, it helps to take a broad observation of what you want to accomplish, and potential ways to be successful.

• Who will you want to delegate this task to?

• How do you want to adapt your approach?

• What expectations do you have for this task?

• What does success look like?

• How involved do you want to be in this process?


Develop a Prioritized Assignment Plan

• After your processes have been documented and you've created a system for sharing that information, you will need to think through your top delegation priorities and how you will assign, track and manage the delegated work. Focus on your biggest priorities first. You can identify a list of potential high-priority delegation items by answering these two simple questions:

1. Does this need to be completed now?

2. Do I need to do this task myself or can someone else?


Document Everything

• Before you even begin delegating, you will need to start tracking all of the information, knowledge and processes that make your chapter run like a well-oiled machine. This may be a challenge because you probably don't think about this data often; you just do what needs to be done. But having comprehensive and clear documentation is essential in order to delegate effectively.

• In general, all of your processes and systems should include a clear written summary so any future member of your team can jump in and pick up where you left off. These documents and any other information needed should be located in a central location that is accessible by everyone.

• Use SSDP’s Delegation Worksheet to better track your delegation: http://www.ssdp.org/assets/2012/06/SSDP-delegation-worksheet-1.pdf


http://www.ssdp.org/assets/2012/06/SSDP-delegation-worksheet-1.pdf




Use Technology

• Technology can make delegation easy and help teams overcome many different challenges. And all teams can benefit from using technology, whether it's for file sharing, scheduling or even online training opportunities.

• As chapter leaders, you can use social networks, google groups, and google documents to effectively work together to accomplish tasks. Using these methods allows for better exchange of documents, more effective group editing, faster communication, and all the meanwhile keeping everything organized and transparent.


Communicate Well and Often

• Good communication is vital for every type of team. Without it, there isn't a team. When it comes to effective delegation, not only does communication need to be clear, concise and consistent, but you also need to make sure each team member has access to the same information. Using SSDP’s Delegation Task Worksheet will help make sure everyone is on the same page.

• One of the ways to accomplish this is by scheduling ongoing face-to-face meetings, or Skype conference calls, if your team members are unable to meet in person. These sessions should be focused on collaboration, information sharing and team building. Save personal issues and discussions for another time, or after the call or meeting is complete. It's also important that you remain accessible in between team meetings to answer questions, provide guidance and help solve problems when necessary.


Cultivate Trust • Trust is one of the most important factors when it

comes to delegation, and it goes both ways. You need to trust that your team members will complete the work they are responsible for, and your team members need to trust that you are giving them all of the information they need to do the work and that you will be available to back them up when necessary.

• Effective delegation can be the answer for the time-challenged chapter leader who is struggling to find the time to grow his or her chapter. And when you take measures to set yourself up for an effective delegation process, you're not only giving yourself time to focus on your most vital chapter activities, but you're alleviating some of the pressure of always doing everything yourself.

• You can create a team based on trust by:

• Being respectful of each other

• Listening and hearing what others are saying

• Focusing on consistent communication

• Saying what you'll do and doing what you say

• Being honest


http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/trust_rules.htm




Delegation Don’ts

• Don’t Focus on the Process

• Don’t Become the Bottleneck

• Don’t Withhold Information

• Don’t Hesitate to Share Wins...and Losses

• Don’t Revert to Your Old Ways


Don’t Focus on The Process

• Everyone has a different way of working, and no two people do things exactly the same way. If you get caught up in the work process and in trying to control every step of the process your team members follow when they complete assignments, not only will it be difficult to build trusting and respectful relationships, but you will spend unnecessary time and effort micromanaging. Micromanaging isn’t effective, and it won’t help you make any friends in the process.

• There are many ways to do things and in most cases, the process isn't as important as the result. Instead of focusing on the path taken, put your focus on the result achieved.


Don’t Become the Bottleneck

• It's important to be aware of everything going on within your team so you can ensure work is being completed satisfactorily and that assignments are made appropriately. But this should be a peripheral review, not a micromanagement process. If you continue to oversee all data and communication going in and out of your team, you will likely become the bottleneck, slowing down the process and making it difficult for your team to do what they need to do.

• A good team needs trust to thrive. Give your team members the leverage they need to prove that they deserve your trust, and you will empower them to succeed.

• Don’t be afraid to give authority to others. Assess what tasks and decisions require your authority, and which do not. If you hold all the authority, your chapter members will be slowed down accomplishing tasks awaiting your approval.


Don’t Withhold Information

• It's impossible to do an exceptional job unless there is easy access to information that's necessary to get the job done. In fact, there may be no quicker collapse of a team than when there is a failure to share important information.

• Data sharing can be accomplished with a and collaboration area that standardizes information and keeps everyone on the same page. You may have different team members working on different aspects of your business, but it can be helpful for each team member to have an awareness and understanding of other members of the team in order to build a collaborative and effective team.

• Utilizing channels like Google Documents allows for a group to access all the information in an effective and transparent way.


Don’t Hesitate to Share Wins... or Losses

• As the leader, you are ultimately accountable for the performance of your team, especially when the result isn't satisfactory. You are also the primary recipient of success and accolades when the job is done well. In both cases, it's important to allow for trickle down.

• While you shouldn't completely pass the buck when something goes wrong, your team members should be held accountable for the roles they played in a setback so they can learn, grow and improve. And conversely, every time you are commended for a successful accomplishment that a team member contributed to, that win and recognition should be passed on to motivate and inspire your team to continue working hard.

• Be honest with yourself, your team, and your supporters.


Don’t Revert to Your Old Ways

• It takes time and commitment to build a team that is based on trust, respect and hard work, and it's not always easy. When the going gets tough and you hit a snag in your delegation process, don't throw in the towel. Analyze what went wrong and what needs to change to fix it, learn from the challenge, and take the steps you need to take to get back on track.

• Getting into an effective delegation mindset can take time, but once you have clarity on what you should and shouldn't do to manage your team, you are on the path to delegation success.


http://sbinformation.about.com/od/businessmanagemen1/a/Delegation-Mindset.htm

http://sbinformation.about.com/od/businessmanagemen1/a/Delegation-Mindset.htm

SSDP Leadership Webinar Part 2: Delegation

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