BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE DELEGATION: 1) Freeing management from routine and repetitive functions. Managers are most cost effective when directing their energies to those top-level duties for which they were hired and are being paid - setting objectives, developing policies, and measuring results. 2) Increasing motivation, confidence, and personal as well as professional growth in others. On-the-job-training challenges employees to evaluate risks, make decisions, and handle conflicts and prepare them for promotion, facilitating company growth. Effective delegation also heightens interest in the company and instills pride by demonstrating the manager’s faith in their abilities.

WHY DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITY?: Delegating responsibility insures that the work is done by the right person. No manager, regardless of his or her competence, can adequately perform each departmental function as well as the person who does it on a daily basis. Many have not worked their way up through the company and are highly unlikely to have handled all aspects of a process while doing so. Additionally, they would hardly have been promoted to a managerial position without a belief that their talents could be put to use elsewhere. Effective delegation ensures that each task is performed at the lowest appropriate level.

BEING A GOOD DELEGATOR: Effective delegation is the strongest productivity improvement tool management can utilize. Since, delegation can be mismanaged, however, it is important for a manager to clearly understand why, what, and to whom he or she should delegate before attempting to do so.

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