A Recipe for Effective Delegation
The keys to effective delegation
Effective delegation is not an easy skill, but you can learn it. As your list of uncompleted tasks keeps growing, your restaurant suffers and your stress level explodes to a point where instead of getting things done, you freeze and grab hold of your daily routine, praying that if you just keep moving the business will be OK.
If you want to delegate successfully, all you have to do is follow these five simple steps:
1) Be specific and clear. Explain what you want accomplished, the steps you want the assigned person to take and then ensure they understand.
2) Define success. When you delegate a task or project, you need to let the person you have delegated to know what success looks like. Take the time to let them know why this task is important, what successful completion looks like and why it’s important.
3) Let it go. If you were specific, clear and took the time to explain what completing the task or project successfully looks like, don’t micromanage! It’s OK to check in from time to time to see how the project is coming along. It’s OK to check progress. It’s OK to spot-check work. But it’s not OK to micromanage. You don’t want to be over shoulders every step of the way. They won’t want to give you their full effort for fear that it’s never good enough. You have to let whomever you delegated to follow his or her own path to completion.
4) Continue communication. When you check in on progress, this is your opportunity to give that person positive or corrective feedback. Remember, just because you showed them once how to do the task, that doesn’t mean they’ll keep it in memory the next day or a week from then. They have to practice it correctly to do it correctly. In a nutshell, continued communication equals ongoing training, and that pays off in dividends. Just remember to be patient. They’re learning and may not master the task at hand for some time.
5) Recognize and reward. When you follow the steps above, you’re almost guaranteed to not only get the task at hand done, but also start developing someone you can count on. You’ll be able to delegate more and eventually hand over tasks knowing — and trusting — they’ll get done correctly. Reward someone doing things right with a simple thank you, pat on the back, movie tickets, dinner out, money, etc. Show that you appreciate the hard work and keep them interested in doing more.
Doesn’t that all sound so easy? Even I find myself telling people how easy it is to effectively delegate, but the truth is it’s easy to hand over tasks without taking all these steps and then pray they get done right. It takes real time and commitment to delegate effectively.
If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed, frozen in your tracks or have too many projects on your plate and really want to get things done, follow this recipe for delegation success and start reaping the rewards today!
To learn more ways to create a culture of open communication, trust and accountability, read our special report, Breaking Away from the Insanity: How to easily take control of your restaurant and make more money. Download it here.
