Introduction

Welcome to your online Delegation Skills course. 

This course has been written to teach you time-tested, practical skills and techniques. Delegation is an essential part of management. Yet many managers fear to 'let go' of vital tasks, feeling that they run risks in delegating and that 'it's quicker to do it myself'. This course will give you the essential tools you need to delegate well.

The course is broken up into the following sections:

„Chapter 1: Delegation Skills

„Chapter 2: Why You Should Delegate More

„Chapter 3: Selecting Appropriate Delegates

„Chapter 4: The Golden Rules

„Chapter 5: Course Summary

Before starting the course, let's look at your own reasons for taking this course and what you hope to achieve from it. Think through the reasons why you decided to take it and then write down as specifically as you can what you hope to achieve.

„

Chapter 1 - Delegation Skills

It is recognised that the best managers are the ones who can delegate. The modern manager, with ever increasing workloads and responsibilities, must use the delegation of responsibility to encourage career growth amongst his/her staff. The results in terms of job satisfaction and morale have to be seen to be believed. This chapter sets out:

• How to delegate effectively
• What to delegate and what not to delegate
• Barriers and benefits of delegation
• Using a Delegation Planner to plan effective delegations

Chapter 2 - Why You Should Delegate More

Delegation is not just task assignment. Task assignment is simply assigning work to an individual within the duties and responsibilities of his/her position. Delegation, on the other hand, involves the manager giving someone the responsibility and authority to do something that is normally part of the manager's job.

Although you may have some tasks that you would like to delegate, remember that effective delegation is not spelt D-U-M-P-I-N-G.

You should take special care to make sure that the employee does not think you are trying to "dump" unpleasant assignments on him or her as this could lead to demotivated staff members. If delegation is not done properly, employees feel put upon and resent what they perceive as doing the boss's work.

Chapter 3 - Selecting Appropriate Delegates

The next step is to select the appropriate delegate. As Andrew Carnegie once said, "The secret of success is not in doing your own work but in recognising the right man [person] to do it."

Think about the delegates personality as well as his/her skills. This is an important consideration when presenting the assignment to the chosen person.

Some people may want and need a great deal of detail and explanation; others respond better to a simple statement of expectations and guidelines, then want to be left alone to "get on with it."  

The art of delegation is the ability to identify the skills and knowledge needed to successfully complete a job, and match them with the skills and knowledge in your team.