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Assign vs. Delegate
If time is holding you back in your business development, consider delegating time consuming tasks that could be better done by others.
Assign vs. Delegate
Why not just assign a task? Won't that save me time?
Not really.
When you assign a task, it still belongs to you. Someone else is executing it but you retain the responsibility for it. That means your attention can and probably will be drawn away by it. Assigning a task is a short-term solution.
When you delegate, you move the responsibility for that task to someone else, which frees you up for more important work. Your attention is free to focus on bigger issues. Delegating a task is a long-term solution.
Delegation benefits you and your firm
When you opt to delegate, you benefit the firm as well as yourself. Delegation helps prepare others for more responsibility and positions them to advance. Offering associates, paralegals and administrative assistants the opportunity to take on more responsibility communicates your trust and belief in them and your desire to support their growth, both important elements in retention and succession planning strategies.
Choosing the best tasks to delegate
Choosing the best tasks to delegate and those to whom those tasks will be delegated requires some preparation and analysis. Download the attached Delegation Assessment from MindTools to help organize your thinking.
Six levels of delegation*
Delegating can be frightening if you are not used to letting go of control. Easing into it might help you take that first step. Choose the level that is most appropriate to the task from the list below as you assess the individual's ability to take on more.
- Research and report
- Recommend action
- Take action-when I say GO
- Take action-unless I say NO
- Take action and let me know what you did
- Take action and I don't want to hear about it again
No matter where you start the delegation process, you will find that people will generally rise to what you expect so be sure to communicate what you expect clearly and often.
Shift your extra time into business development
As tasks are taken on by others, resist the temptation to fill up all your time with new tasks that simply replace the old. Instead, allocate a portion of your new availability to business development activities you have identified as important
in our coaching sessions.
Download Delegation Assessment (pdf)
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