How to Delegate

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How to Delegate Effectively
(5min.com, 2012)
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Delegate-Effectively-517169237
-I know that I have a lot on my plate right now and I’m worried that I’m not gonna be able to manage it all. But
I don’t wanna delegate because everyone on my team is really busy as well.
So it just seems easier for me to just hope that one day there’ll be less to do. Probably not a practical solution,
though, right?
-No, I’m afraid not! Fortunately you’re not alone in this. All companies are starting to do more with less,
which means managers need to prioritize, set boundaries and delegate. It’s really key to your success and it’s
gonna help develop your people.
-How can I overcome my resistance to delegating? Am I really protecting my team or, be straight with me here,
am I just a secret control freak?
-I don’t know about that, but there are lots of reasons why people don’t delegate. It’s important to understand
those reasons so that you can overcome them.
Now one of the most frequent ones I hear is lack of time. You just don’t have time to teach somebody how to
do something.
So I was working with a client who had to spend a lot of time running reports. She didn’t wanna take the time
to teach somebody else, but when she finally did, she realized how much time it gave her to do the things that
are more important.
-Invest the time upfront, you save some later on.
-Absolutely. Furthermore, the person she delegated it to actually enjoyed doing it and was happy to get that
opportunity.
Which leads me to the next reason why people don’t delegate: they often feel like the people on their team are
either too stretched also or don’t wanna do it. They’re often surprised to find (that) the opposite is true. People
do like to be stretched and often times people have complimentary skills to yours and like doing the things that
you might hate to do.
-They wanna be challenged!
-Exactly. Finally, a lot of managers do think that they can do it better themselves. Sometimes that’s true, not
always!
And, it’s your job to develop your people. You need to be more open to how things are done and accept that
yours is not the only way to do something.
-What are the specific steps that I can follow as I start to delegate.
-Well, I have a specific exercise that I recommend people to do. First of all, in a two-week period of time list all
of the tasks that you do. That does take a lot of time upfront, but it’s well worth it. Then look at what can you
delegate.
A University of Michigan study found that up to seventy percent of a manager’s tasks can be delegated.
So, do you actually have to attend that meeting or can you delegate it? Do you have to be the one writing the
report or giving the presentation? Then decide who(m) to delegate it to. Once you’ve done that, be clear with
the expectations, have frequent checking points.
-In summary?
-In summary, understand how important it is to delegate. It’s important for your career success and it’s
important to develop your own people. Be specific about what you can delegate and just do it.
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Vocabulary
01. I have a lot on my plate
02. right now
03. busy as well
04. set boundaries
05. key to your success
06. overcome my resistance
j’ai du pain sur la planche
en ce moment
occupé également
établir des limites
la clé de votre réussite
surmonter ma résistance
07. be straight with me
08. a control freak
09. a lack of time
10. you just don’t have time
soyez honnête avec moi
(péj.) quelqu’un qui veut tout contrôler
un manque de temps
vous n’avez tout simplement pas le temps
11. to spend a lot of time running reports
12. invest the time upfront, you save later on
passer beacoup de temps à faire des rapports
investisser (le temps) de suite, vous gagner
(du temps) plus tard
les gens sont soit débordés (‘trop étirés’)ou
ne veulent pas le faire
pour insister
pour insister
des tâches
cela prend effectivement du temps au début
cela en vaut vraiment la peine
jusqu’à 70%
êtes-vous vraiment obligé d’assister à ..
êtes-vous celui qui doit écrire ce rapport
précisez (soyez claire avec) vos attentes
contrôlez fréquemment
13. people are either too stretched or don’t wanna do it
14. people do like to be stretched
15. managers do think ...
16. tasks
17. that does take a lot of time upfront
18. it’s well worth it
19. up to seventy percent
20. do you actually have to attend that meeting?
21. do you have to be the one writing the report
22. be clear with the expectations
23. have frequent checking points