The Art of Delegating

How many of you are doing "too much" and not allowing others to help you?

I know I am one of those people. I want things done a certain way and can't allow others to help me since they will not do it the same way I do.

Nope they won't! They are individuals with different frames of mind, experiences and ideals that make us all different.  But what if they do it another way and it’s… better.  GASP* How could that ever be so? Well I am just saying it could happen.  

So what do we do? Do we continue to push through the hard daily tasks in life and never get to enjoy the things we desire because we cannot ask for help? No not at all. WHEW!

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Delegating can be very difficult but it all comes down to one thing really. Communicating what it is you really want. If it’s really important that the task gets done in a way you recommend then first communicate what the end result is to look like.

 State your expectations as to what you want accomplished. What is the end result? What do you want to happen and how? If there is no certain way to do this task then just simply ask for the job to get done. Dishes for example: Does it really matter which way the knives point in the drying rack? Well it used to matter to me. So much that I would go back and turn all the knives down after the dishes were done. Of course this didn’t go unnoticed and it was promptly suggested that I do them myself if I didn’t like the way they were done. Um… But I don’t want to do them myself that is why I asked you to do them. Then stop criticizing how I do them.  Have you had one of these kinds of conversations? Good I’m glad I’m not the only one.

STATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS CLEARLY

Of course they’re right. If wanted them done my way then doing them myself would be the answer. So make sure you are weighing the jobs at hand. Do you want the help or do you want the job? I decided I wanted the help instead.  

REITERATE WHAT IS TO HAPPEN

Next is once you have decided that this task should be done a certain way then ask the person to reiterate what you just said. This way communication didn’t get lost in translation as we all know can happen.

CHECK ON THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Then after that if it’s important enough to know how things turned out is to have the person come back and check in to say that the job is finished and you check to make sure it’s up to your standards.

Now I don’t recommend your partner check in after making the bed and seeing if it’s to your expectations this could cause some undesired results (trust me I know)!

Most of this is for big jobs that require it to be done a certain way. For instance if you are taking on too much at work and need some assistance in helping you become more productive then I would suggest this process.  Not so much for help at home. Tasks at home need only be delegated and perhaps only taught if the person in which you are delegating has never accomplished this task before. But otherwise just state that you would like some help and hope and pray they do it “right”!