A couple posts ago, we discussed planning for a long departure. Whether it be a small vacation or an unexpected leave, there are certain tasks that you must complete and others that will be passed down.
In your absence, someone must take over your duties and ensure that the work continues to get done.
So how do you delegate the work? How do you ensure that he or she will be able to properly prioritize the work and take action?
First, let us review the three categories of responsibilities:
Daily Operation - tasks done on a frequent basis
Fire Fighting - tasks that interrupt you that must be handled within quickly
Touch and Go - tasks that interrupt you that can be handled a little bit later
Daily Operations are the easiest tasks to delegate. They are tasks that you have constantly done. Because you know what to expect, you can clearly tell others what must be done.
Now you have two more categories, Fire Fighting and Touch and Go. With both of these tasks, there are often times when you shift back and forth between the task that you were initially doing and this interruption.
When you are leaving these tasks for someone else to do, you must think about how you want to tackle them.
Some questions that you could ask include:
How much of an emergency is this task?
Can it be rescheduled?
Who else must be involved in this decision?
What kind of follow-up is needed?
By asking such questions, the manger will be able to handle each case as its own and better understand the individual level of urgency. Instead of everything being treated as a Fire-Fighting, these interruptions have now become problem solving time blocks. During this period, the manager can properly analyze the situation and take appropriate actions. It will prevent hasty decisions and help create a better time management.
Yes, it is time that must be created but it is a good business strategy to have. It allows more of those Touch and Go tasks to become a part of your Daily Operation. Making these unexpected tasks part of the daily agenda makes delegation easier as now, there is a routine way to handle the unexpected.
Delegating tasks is never easy because not everyone may not think the same way or place the same amount of urgency on certain tasks. Use the guiding questions to make the transition more seamless.
For more delegation guiding questions as well as their benefits, visit our blog and the blog post, "Strategic Planning for a Long Departure".
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