Masonry Magazine October 2000 Page. 52
DELEGATION:
Pick the Style That's Right for You By Richard Ensman
You know the importance of del-
egation. And you probably dele-
gate tasks instinctively: you ask
people to do things as a matter of rou-
tine, you expect that tasks will be com-
pleted, and for the most part, they are.
But delegation is a complex phe-
nomenon. Before delegating, it's al-
ways best to decide exactly what it is
that you're delegating and how you
propose to do it. Here, then, are eight
different delegation styles available to
you. The style you select may vary
from task to task or employee to em-
ployee, but by using a single style
when you assign tasks, you'll be able
to focus attention on the work at hand:
1. Delegate by Task.
Here, you'll
assign specific activities to employ
ees. These may vary from day to day,
or week to week, depending on your
workload and priorities. This style is
best used with employees who func-
tion well as assistants. This style,
however, may require planning time
on your part.
2. Delegate by Priority.
Using this
strategy, you'll reserve high-priority
tasks for yourself and lower-priority
tasks for your assistant or employees.
This style works best when you have
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SIX DELEGATION MUSTS
When you're delegating, remember to observe six important principles:
1. Define what and how you want to delegate.
2. Be sure there's a mutual understanding about the terms of the delegation
between you and your employee.
3. Train and orient your employee about what you want done and, if appro-
priate, how you want it done.
4. Give your employee the appropriate amount of freedom, but always
specify check points or reporting mechanisms, such as meetings, written
reports, or e-mail.
5. Offer feedback to your employee. Let her know how she did on her most
recent assignment and modify your authority and responsibility in the
future as a result.
6. Gradually increase the employee's responsibility as he/she demonstrates
growing ability and skill.
employees who do not possess the
level of skills you possess. This style
requires you to train your people well
so they can handle routine tasks on
their own without knocking on your
door regularly.
3. Delegate by Job Description.
Using a detailed job description,
you'll articulate the ongoing duties
and responsibilities of your employ-
ees. This style works best for profes-
sional employees whose work
demands do not change frequently.
You'll need to write very specific job
descriptions, with examples of duties
and responsibilities.
4. Delegate by Process.
In today's
process-oriented workplaces, you
might assign employees to manage
various work procedures, such as pro-
ducing specific computer reports, rec-
onciling inventory, or any one of a
thousand other tasks. This style works
best for skilled employees who excel
at repetitive tasks. You'll need to un-
derstand each process, however, so
there's no confusion when it comes
time to delegate. You'll also need ap-
propriate reports from your people to
ensure that things are being done.
5. Delegate by Exception.
Using
this strategy, you'll give your em-
ployees broad discretion in handling
a variety of responsibilities. You'll al-
low them great latitude in perform-
ing their work, except when you step
in with specific instructions. This
style works well with enthusiastic,
self-starters. You'll need to monitor
what these employees are doing.
however, to be sure they don't move
into uncharted waters.
6. Delegate by Results.
In this sce-
nario, you'll ask your employees to
produce specific results - such as pro-
duction quotas or sales and give
them a wide berth in the type of ac-
tivities they perform to get there. This
style of delegation, which can take a
great load off your shoulders, is best
for independent, self-starters. You
need to identify specific results, and
be sure the employee has the author-
ity and resources to do the job.
7. Delegate by the Individual.
Un-
der this scenario, how you delegate
will depend entirely on the individ-
ual's experience, training, and skills.
You may have five employees with
varying levels of skill. You then dele-
gate based on the abilities of each in-
dividual. In fact, you can even use the
opportunity for greater delegation of
responsibility as a motivator. This
style of delegation works best in com-
plex workplaces where there's a lot of
turnover. Using this style, you need to
know the strengths and weaknesses
of your people inside and out.
8. Delegate by Absence.
If you're
frequently away from the workplace,
delegate many or most of your rou-
tine tasks to another employee when-
ever you're away. This style is ideal if
you're on the road but still responsi-
ble for deadlines. It works best with
employees who are professionally
close to you and growing in skill. You
must communicate with them closely
about your needs, however, in order
for this style to work effectively.