6 Steps to Master the "Art of Delegating"

When Dolly, the cloned sheep, made her entrance in the world, I remember thinking, “If I could clone myself I could…”

But the truth is that I don’t know that I would have trusted Cloned Christine to take over some areas of my life. I didn’t trust anyone to do it as well as me.

As a Squad Leader in a Military Police Platoon, I thought I knew how to delegate as it is an integral part of how the Army works. I told the Team Leaders and they told the Privates what to do - except when it came to planning the Company Picnic or the Family Day activities. I just knew that “nobody” would take the time or care the way I would.

There were very capable people ready to help. I was concerned that the detail that I would bring to a project would not be brought by someone else and this stopped me from delegating even the smallest task.

My consequence for not mastering the “Art of Delegating” was a migraine headache the day of event. Something had to change and these are the steps I developed to help overcome my own fear of delegating:

1.) Make a list.
Although this seems like a no brainer, for some people it needs to be reiterated. I use a Mind Map because linear thinking doesn’t help in multiple projects scenarios. Use our Task Mind Mapping tool to get started.

2.) Be honest with yourself.
There are only so many hours in a day and there are only so many of those hours that you can dedicate to tasks. Once you have listed all of the tasks on the Task Mind Map, you need to determine which tasks is Priority and have to be accomplished by you this week, which can be done Later next week and which ones you can Delegate.

If you have gone through your list and have not found a task to delegate go back through this step and start with BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. Take a deep breath and trust the process.

3.) Define your Expectations.
Do you need the task done at by a specific date? If purchases are to be made, do you have a specific brand or store that you prefer? As much as I hope that someone can read my mind to totally get what I want, the fact is that they can’t. Defining your expectation for the task will make it clear to both you and the Delegatee of what exactly you want accomplished.

4.) Determine who you will Delegate your tasks to.
The Concierge is a great choice to delegate tasks simply because you can trust that they will get done when you want them done.

5.) Give the Delegatee the list of tasks.

6.) Step Back.
Whether you give your task to CZ Concierge Services or to your spouse, the truth is that no one will do something the exact same way you would have. You have determined that the Delegatee is someone you trust and now has your expectations. If the end result is the same as you wanted it, then it was a good delegation!

We want to hear about your success at mastering the “Art of Delegation”. Be sure to leave a comment below.