About three years ago all of the managers and partners at nicholsons were put through their management paces by Mary Birch, a specialist management trainer. One of the key themes to this training was delegation.

Wikipedia defines delegation as "the handing of a task over to another person" Sounds simple until you try. There always seem so many reasons (or excuses) why you can't delegate and therefore you continue to plough a lonely furrow.

I will openly admit that this picture, until recently was me! Now though I am starting to really understand the power of delegation! BUT its not just about passing tasks on to other people. I think that there is so much more to consider.

You have to ensure that the person you pass the task to has the skill to do the task. I don't think that it's wrong to test people but you have to ensure that they don't get de-moralised with tasks that are above them.

You also have to ensure that you explain the detail of the task; what is expected, when it has to be completed, the reason it is being done and the objective!

Sometimes though you can also delegate, or outsource, tasks to outsiders. Something I have discovered. When I talk about outsourcing I can remember one of my University lecturers saying never outsource your core competencies.  I feel that this is very important as your core competence is the reason you are in business but there is no reason why you can't outsource other business activity.

More often than not people who offer an outsourced service specialise in both their specific area and in the art of outsourcing providing you with the best of both!

I think that delegation is an art as it's not as easy as you first think but when you do manage to delegate tasks it really is a revelation!

To finish this post I thought I would ask Mary Birch to comment on the art of delegation . . .

“The commonly used ‘model’ for coaching is something which, if used correctly, can help the delegator as well as the person being delegated to.

1. Agree and set realistic goals for the individual – enable them to ‘sign up’ to the goals and see the value of the exercise.

2. Train and support them if they have some gaps in their skills or knowledge.

3.  Build a strong relationship – one where the individual can question and test out information and understanding.

4. Continually motivate the individual by giving support, guidance and coaching.

Provide constructive feedback – give the individual guidance but do not forget to ‘catch them doing it right!’