That week I wrote that There Are Only 3 Things A Leader Needs To Do: Think, Decide, Act.  I received a response from successful businessman and board member, Tom Koski, who said he agreed, however, he noted the importance of a leader knowing how to delegate.  Tom stated that each of us has talents, which by definition means there are things we are not as talented in.  A key to being an effective delegator is understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, and once you understand and acknowledge these to yourself, you must find people who are strong in areas in which you are not as strong.

Delegating is challenging for many leaders, and really is a learned skill.  Years ago I was a certified instructor in Model-Netics, a management training program of Main Event Management, and it taught managers to look at his/her total area of responsibility, identify which work he/she should do him/herself, determine which subordinates can and will do the work, and then delegate the remainder of the work to them.

So combining the two lessons above, a leader needs to understand his/her scope of responsibility and be aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses, and then delegate accordingly.

Now the difficult part:  How to Delegate.  The key to effective delegation is:

1) Fully define what needs to be delegated (be very specific);

2) Identify the person with the skills to complete the work;

3) Confirm that person’s willingness to do the work;

4) Create a communication/feedback process to monitor progress;

5) Celebrate upon successful completion.

Remember, like any learned skill, delegating effectively will take practice.

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For more information, here are a few good articles on delegating:

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