For employees in leadership role, one of the most difficult transitions to make is the shift from doing to leading.

 

In doing, we are in a constant state of overextension, which fuels an instinctive reaction to hold on to work. This survival instinct ultimately decreases our impact through an ongoing, limited effect on our team members. And, the impact continues to decrease with every initiative we unnecessarily hold on to.

 

In leading, we make our priorities come to life through the inspired actions of our team members. This increases our impact, and it continues to increase with each team member we empower to contribute their best work.

 

So, doing decreases the impact of leadership, whereas leading increases it. And in turn, decreased impact results in decreased productivity, lower employee morale, and hindered organizational growth; whereas increased impact results in improved productivity, employee development, and better business outcomes.

 

The difference between doing and leading is painfully evident.

 

And the most valuable skill required to make the shift from doing to leading is delegation.

 

It means getting your work done through other people.

 

While it may seem straightforward, delegation is a nuanced process that requires thoughtful consideration and skill. And that’s why this training was designed.

 

It will explore many of the critical facets of delegation.

 

 

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The Learning Journey

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The training begins with exploring what some of delegation’s advantages and disadvantages are. The participants also complete a self-assessment to help identify where their delegation skills currently are, and how they might be able to benefit from improving those skills.

 

Next, we take a close look at what delegation is (and is not). We also explore the different degrees of delegation and learn about some factors for success. We even touch on lateral delegation, where you delegate to someone at the same level of authority as you (like a teammate).

 

We then take a moment to review the answers to the pre-assignment. Then, we move onto some of the nuts and bolts of delegation, including how to choose who to delegate to and how to set up the delegation meeting. We also apply what we learned so far to a short case study.

 

Next, we explore two skills necessary for successful delegation: techniques for giving instructions and ways to monitor delegation. Then, we wrap everything up with an intensive case study.

 

To conclude the training, we learn about the ingredients for good feedback and characteristics of effective delegators.

 

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Course Objectives

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After completing this training, participants will be able to:

 

- Clearly identify how delegation fits into their job and how it can make them more successful

- Identify different ways of delegating tasks

- Use an eight-step process for effective delegation

- Give better instructions for better delegation results

- Recognize common delegation pitfalls and avoid them

- Identify what to delegate and effectively delegate to others

- Monitor delegation results

- Give effective feedback

 

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Course Outline

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Session 1: Course Overview

 

- Learning Objectives

- Pre-Assignment Background

- Pre-Assignment Background

- Pre-Course Assessment

 

Session 2: Why Delegate?

 

- Advantages and Disadvantages of Delegating

- More on Delegation

- Delegation Do's and Don'ts

- Self-Assessment

 

Session 3: What is Delegation?

 

- Delegation Definitions

- Four Basic Steps to Delegation

- Degrees of Delegation 

- Guidelines for Success

- What to Delegate

- Lateral Delegation

 

Session 4: Pre-Assignment Review

 

 - Pre-Assignment Review

 

Session 5: Picking the Right Person

 

- Demonstrated Skill

- Employee Motivation

- Matching Skills and People

 

Session 6: The Delegation Meeting

 

 - Delegation Assignment Steps 

 

Session 7: Putting it into Practice

 

- Case Study

- Activity

- Steps for a Delegation Meeting

 

Session 8: Giving Instructions

 

- Three Types of Instructions

- Requests

- Suggestions

- Preparing Instructions

 

Session 9: Monitoring Delegation

 

- Why Should You Monitor Delegation?

- How Do You Monitor?

 

Session 10: Practicing Delegation

- Decision One

- Your Employees

- How Do You Monitor?

- Decision Two 

- Decision Three 

- Decision Four

- Decision Five

 

Session 11: Giving Feedback

 

- The Ingredients of Good Feedback

- Characteristics of Effective Feedback 

- Case Studies

 

Session 12: Becoming a Good Delegator

 

 - Characteristics of Effective Delegators

 

Session 13: A Personal Action Plan

 

- Starting Point

- Short-Term Goals and Rewards

- Long-Term Goals

- Summary