Delegation Skills Course

The objective of the delegation course is to highlight the various ways in which delegation within the workplace can have a positive effect on your business, and to provide you with the information you need to get the best from both your staff and customers by improving the overall workplace experience and job proficiency of your staff.

On completion of the online Delegation Skills training course you will know;

• The key principles, processes and methods of delegation
• How to identify appropriate delegation opportunities
• Ways to positively engage with and delegate to others
• The importance of maintaining control while delegating
• How delegation can enhance the job satisfaction and development of others

Delegation is a process of entrusting a task or responsibility to a member of staff who is less senior to you.  Done properly delegation enables managers to get more from their team by harnessing strengths, motivating and building skills.

Combining delegation skills with the ability to communicate impactful messages is a great recipe for successful managers.

You will have heard the maxim that a ‘Team is greater than the sum of its parts’.  It is unlikely this will be achieve if responsibilities are simply shared evenly across a team.  However, if responsibilities are assigned to team members in such a way that they play to the strengths of each team member then you created a true ‘TEAM’ according to the maxim.

When delegation is done properly and for the right reason it also helps to foster a climate of trust within the workplace.  And create improvement opportunities for your staff. Poor delegation on the other hand may cause frustration, de-motivate and confuse the other person which fails to achieve the task.

1. Trust – As a manager or supervisor trust is key.  You must first have trust in a staff member before you can give them new responsibilities.
2. Communication – Must to be successful and frequent in order that the task at hand is fully understood.  Ask yourself if you just way what is needed and leave what questions would you be left with?
3. Confidence – This is a 2-way street.  If you as a manager have confidence in the process of delegation and it is done fairly this can instil confidence and motivation in your staff.  Especially if they receive good feedback on a job well done.
4. Flexibility – You need to be flexible where control is concern.  Especially when you are stressed.
5. Responsibility – Remember everything comes back to you.  You must accept responsibility if something goes wrong.  This is one of the main reasons why people hesitate to delegate.

In order for delegation to be successful you must have full trust in your staff to do the job.

First of all you need to define the task at hand. Confirm in your own mind that the task is suitable to be delegated. Does it meet the criteria for delegating?

Next, you need to select a team member for the job and you will need to ensure that you get the right person for the job because they are your responsibility.  Ask yourself what are your reasons for delegating to this person? Do they have what it takes to do the job well?

Being about to recognise the right person to do the task at hand is a key part of delegating appropriately.

When you assign the task you will also need to assess their current abilities and their training needs. Because you are taking a risk with delegating the task, you need to ensure that the person you choose is capable of doing the task.

Finally, you will need to explain your reasons for assigning them to the task. Explain to them why the job or responsibility is being delegated and its importance and relevance.  This helps the staff member understand where the project fits in the overall scheme of things and helps to give them a sense of responsibility.