Do you delegate so that staff are encouraged to develop their skills? Or do you throw a bunch of tasks around the office and hope some of them get done? I am sure it is the former – but just in case it isn’t, you might be interested in some management communication training for your managers (or yourself). How do you delegate to encourage staff?
Sadly, I find that skillful delegation is missing from a lot of organisations. Staff morale suffers. Clear and fair delegation is key to effective teamwork and management. Staff away-days and mindfulness workshops might provide a brief respite but are only a distraction from the main issue. Nothing works quite as well as properly balanced delegation. If you have high expectations of your team, this can reinforce your efforts. On the other hand, if you convey lower expectations this can undermine your efforts to improve performance.
- Are you simply handing out lots of tasks?
- Do you invest enough time in coaching / mentoring staff?
Here are some reminders to help us delegate tasks effectively and to encourage staff to develop their skills.
Practicalities of delegating and coaching
- Frame the task with a worked example
- Concept check – ask questions to check understanding
- Establish a check list that they can work to (standards)
- Let them experiment
- Get them assess against checklist (evaluation)
- Give your feedback
Stage | What you do | Why you do it |
Frame | Frame the task with a worked example.“Here is an example of the letter to the editor that we drafted on a previous case. You can see here how we…….” | It is easier to show an example of what you expect.Warning: don’t aim for a carbon copy of previous work. |
Concept check | Ask concept check questions to check that they really understand the task.“So, why is it important that we check the status of contacts on the database?” | If you simply ask – “do you understand?” the answer will likely be ‘yes’. |
Establish a checklist | Break down the task into activities. | This helps you bridge understanding the task to setting out a plan. |
Get them to set SMART objectives | By the end of next week you will have checked that all 120 contacts on that list are up-to-date. | Helps to set objectives that can be achieved and monitored. |
Learning | Reflect on what they are going to learn and how they are going to develop. | Reminds staff that they should stretch themselves. |
Let’s have a conversation about you
We train staff teams in a variety of associations and companies here in Brussels. If you want to delegate to encourage staff sign up for our training.
If you would like more details of what we can do to help your teams through effective management communications please contact us on +32 473 391890 or info@communicatingeu.com