Deciding which Tasks to Keep

As a manager you should delegate as many of the lower-level operational tasks as possible. But you cannot delegate such areas as, for example, strategic planning, occasional crisis management, and sensitive matters such as salaries and promotion.

Retaining tasks

Tasks that you cannot delegate include key areas such as controlling overall performance, and confidential human resources matters – how people are rewarded, appraised, promoted, informed, coached, and counselled. You may also need to manage all dealings with important customers. Make these tasks your priority and ensure that you allocate ample time to them.

Setting aside thinking time

Tasks that you cannot delegate have common themes – meeting the strategic objectives of the organization, the team, and you the manager. Typically, a manager is immersed in operational detail, such as gathering information or organizing meetings, and spends only 20 per cent of the working week in high-level thinking. By delegating effectively you can reorganize your time to allow strategic planning, or thinking, to occupy the largest segment of your time. Delegation and effective use of information technology could treble the time available for thinking to about 60 per cent of the working week.

Table Tasks managers should retain

Responsibilities	Factors to consider
Leadership Providing the drive and stewardship for a project or an organization.	A leadership task is one that is essential for leading a group or project to success. Because of its importance to control, it cannot usually be delegated to a subordinate but can be shared with one or two senior colleagues.
Reward Setting and maintaining parameters for salaries and bonus schemes.	The setting of general and individual levels of pay and other remuneration is so basic to motivation that it clearly falls within the manager’s remit. The same is true of any significant non-financial rewards.
Control Achieving optimum performance in the working environment.	Day-to-day working discipline, accurate systems, quality procedures, and efficient execution do not have to be the manager’s operational tasks. But the responsibility for seeing that controls are effective cannot be delegated.
Personnel Controlling human resource matters, conduct, and discipline.	The manager must take a close interest in staff careers and performance, personally conducting reviews and appraisals and taking sensitive and confidential decisions on promotions, reviews, hirings, and dismissals.
Key customers Maintaining key relationships that rely on personal and social skills.	The continued success of a business is closely tied to continued good relationships with key customers. The manager must never endanger these relationships by delegating ultimate responsibility for these contacts.
Strategy Establishing key targets and the means of fulfilling them.	Planning for the future (short-, medium-, and long-term) is a task that must be originated and led from the top, but which depends for full success on enlisting committed contributions from all levels of the team.
Communications Ensuring the efficient internal transfer of information.	Making sure that good channels of communication exist and are used continuously cannot be delegated. The manager ensures that on both a personal and group level, a smooth flow of relevant information is maintained.
Results Assessing outcomes and the application of lessons learned.	The manager sets the goals, in agreement with all staff, and monitors the successful progress towards these goals. When any targets are endangered, the manager steps in and immediately acts to improve the situation.