Friday, February 6, 2009

Delegation Improves Management

Nobody can do everything. Anyone who thinks they can do it all isn't doing the important things. Priorities change all the time. As soon as you have completed a couple of high-value tasks, the priorities of remaining and new tasks will be different. It is the job of the manager to determine which tasks are valuable and important enough for the manager to do him/her self and which tasks should be delegated to someone else.

The manager's most important job is to grow the business or the business unit he/she is responsible for. Anything that does not accomplish that goal should be delegated to someone else, and it could be argued that those tasks should not even be done at all. Growing the business or business unit entails increasing new customers, increasing sales per customer, increasing customer visits, and increasing total profit. Managers should never take their eye off of that goal and they should train their staff to focus on the goal as well.

One thing that can stop down a manager's day is reporting. Managers need valid and accurate reports in order to develop strategy, reduce waste, and fix problems. These reports need to be clear and concise. Most importantly, they should be created by someone else. The manager should act on information, not develop the information. To make the best use of this time and information, find someone who is strong in that reporting area and get them on it. Delegate.

The other thing that will waste a manger's time is not having or following an organizational chart. First of all, if you don't have an org chart, get one now. Associates need to understand who they do and do not report to. All levels of the organization need to know who does each task. Org charts should have sufficient detail to let everyone know who does what. Once you have an effective org chart, everyone must follow it. A good manager will be one that associates feel comfortable talking with. This is a great strength because it helps to find problems and to motivate people to do a great job. The problem is when people bypass their direct supervisors and bring too many things to your office. You have to remind people to report issues to their supervisors. This is a part of delegation. It ensures that the direct supervisors are doing their jobs so that you don't have to. Empower your management team to make decisions so that you don't have to do their jobs for them.

With company email, staff has very easy access to a manager who does not redirect them to their direct supervisors. Don't get sucked into the role of email decision maker. Instead, simply reply by reminding them to go to their direct supervisor and copy the supervisor so that everyone knows not to bury you inside of your own inbox.

Managers have to keep an intense focus on the primary goal. Delegation is a key to achieving these goals. Empower the management team to be in-charge. Teach the staff to rely on their direct supervisor. Use reports, don't create them. Stay focused, achieve your goals, and have great success.

Delegation improves management,.

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