The Art of Task Delegation

Delegation is a tough skill to master.  Many mangers have trouble delegating tasks to employees because they have trouble giving up control.   A good manager knows their strengths and the amount of work load they can handle without stressing.   A good manager also knows their employees strengths.  Use those strengths to your advantage.  Through the art of delegation, you can harness the skills you don’t have and reduce your stress by reducing your work load.  Delegation of tasks does not mean you are no longer responsible for the task, it only means that you are now managing.  You are still responsible for quality of the work done by the person you delegated the task to.  You still deserve credit for getting the work done, the only difference is you should be sharing the credit with the people who helped you.

Tips for Delegating Work

• Know everyone’s strengths
• Follow up with everyone who you delegated work to.   Ensure they are on task and the quality it to your desire.
• Delegate tasks only to the people you trust.
• Use a calendar.   Make sure you are following a schedule and that everyone knows the schedule.
• Make sure everyone has the resources to get the job done. 
• Provide your knowledge and share your experience.
• Manage, manage, manage – this doesn’t mean you do the work. 
• Share the glory, if you get praise, share the praise with those who helped. 

For Toastmaster Officers

An officer for Toastmasters can be a demanding role.   You have a lot of responsibilities and sometimes you do not have time to do everything.   We all have families, jobs and lives outside of Toastmasters,   We also have goals that we need time to work towards.  The art of task delegation also applies here.   We are not all good in all areas that we are elected for.  During the election you may have even made promises that now you recognize are too big.  Through delegation, you can accomplish a little bit more and gain a little more time for other important things in your life.

Example:   You need a club poster created; find a club member who is willing to take on the task.  You may have to ask a few people, but given enough time, you will find someone to help.