GUIDELINE 1

EMPOWER PEOPLE THROUGH EFFECTIVE DELEGATION

As we saw in Chapter 7, effective delegation involves assigning concrete goals and specific deadlines and clarifying all guidelines and parameters. Make sure that both you and the person you are managing are absolutely clear on what is expected. Talk about the details of the assignment until the person understands exactly where his or her responsibility begins and ends. Ask the person to state the details for you, and then ask for the details again in order to double-check understanding.

You can employ the “Delegating Responsibility” tool introduced in Chapter 7 as an aid for empowering people effectively. The tool is repeated here for ease of use.

No matter how small or large the goal of the assignment, be certain to include a very specific deadline. If the goal is a relatively long-term one, then break it down into smaller goals with intermediate deadlines.

Also, you may find it worthwhile to have the person you are managing construct an action plan. If so, be ready to lend a hand.

•   First, review each smaller goal and its intermediate deadline.

•   Then help the person make a list of the concrete actions required to achieve each smaller goal.

The following worksheet is a modified version of the “Plan of Action” tool provided in Chapter 7. It is tailored to your delegation role, and useful for breaking down a long-term goal into smaller goals and helping someone construct an action plan.

Use the next worksheet

to help someone else

make a plan of action.