Antleader
Guide
#A4

Delegate!

The art of sharing the work is an indispensable concept which must be grasped by any leader who expects to be successful. Your members are your greatest resource to get the job done right and they feel more invested and comitted if they take some responsibility.

Why Delegate?

  1. Allows for more people to be actively involved.
  2. Distributes the work load.
  3. Motivates members by giving them value and importance.
  4. Helps organizations run more smoothly.

What To Delegate?

  1. Frequent tasks that repeat themselves.
  2. Details that take up large chunks of time.
  3. Specialized tasks that you feel someone is particularly qualified or talented to accomplish.
  4. Tasks that readily generate volunteers.

How To Delegate?

  1. Ask for volunteers -- interest and belief in something is one of the greatest motivators for success.
  2. Suggest someone you feel would be good for the task. Silence in response to a request for volunteers does not necessarily mean lack of interest.
  3. Assign the task to someone, but select thoughtfully. The person can always decline.

Don't Delegate . . .

  1. Situations where you have to change someone's behavior.
  2. A decision that involves changing a group rule or policy.
  3. A controversial issue.
  4. Something you yourself would not be willing to do (the menial work).

A Delegating Checklist

  1. Choose the appropriate people by interviewing and placing your members carefully. Consider their time, interest, and capabilities. Specific responsibilities to be delegated to a particular person must be appropriate for the growth or developmental needs of the person at that time.
  2. Explain why the person(s) was (were) selected for this task.
  3. Delegate logical segments of the task. Use deadlines, the type of task, and the kinds of resources to be used to establish these divisions.
  4. Define clearly the responsibilities being delegated to each person. Explain what is expected of the person(s) and what are the bounds of authority. Be sure to agree on areas where the person can function freely.
  5. Give accurate and honest feedback. People want to know how they're doing and they deserve to know. This is both an opportunity for giving satisfaction and encouraging growth. Allow for risk-taking and mistakes.
  6. Support your officers and chairpersons by sharing information, knowledge, and plans with them. Many errors are made simply because of lack of information. Share their failures as well as their successes.
  7. Really delegate. Most responsible people do not appreciate someone looking over their shoulder, kibitzing, or taking back parts of their assignment before they have a chance to do it. As the leader, it's hard for you to let go. Let them do the job! As you delegate appropriately, a multiplier effect occurs: the time spent doing a job can be spent enabling several people to do numerous jobs.
  8. Stress the importance of evaluation: you must not overlook the need to evaluate and measure the extent to which your actions conformed to your plans, if the plans went well, or if the original plans were appropriate . . . and worthwhile.

Take the "Delegating Inventory" to see how you rate as a delegator. You can also contact the Office of the Dean of Students in the UCI Student Center (949/824-5181) for more information.

How Do You Rate As A Delegator?

On a piece of paper write in the number which best describes your typical behavior in answering each question below.

1=Seldom 2=Sometimes 3=Frequently

1. Do you spend time on routine items that others (group members) could handle equally as well?

2. Do you take work home frequently and barely touch it?

3. Do you consistently work longer hours than others?

4. Do you generally have more than two stacks of papers on your desk?

5. Do you have a piece of correspondence on your desk which has a date on it more than 90 days old?

6. Do you spend time doing for others what they could be doing for themselves?

7. Do you still handle responsibi-lity from your last job assignment?

8. Do you have to rush to meet deadlines?

9. Do you find that you need to stay on top of most of you activities and school work?

10. Do you feel that you are not getting done with what you want and need to do because too many tasks are being given to you?

 

Add up your 1's, 2's, and 3's.

 10-13  You get an "A": Keep up the good work!
 14-17  Look for more opportunities to delegate, but you are doing well.
 over 20  Come by the Office of the Dean of Students to pick up some more tips on delegating effectively.

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