Delegation: Dividing Tasks Multiplies Your Chances of Success

By Frank Viscuso

Effective delegation will enable you to accomplish far more than you could by taking 100 percent responsibility for every project or by chronic micromanagement (a terrible mistake). Delegation, along with setting priorities and avoiding time-wasting activities, is among the most important aspects of time management. When I was a tour commander, it would have been impossible for me to arrive on the scene of a four-car accident with entrapments and multiple injuries, manage the scene, secure the area, and extricate and treat the victims by myself. It would be ridiculous for any individual to even consider taking on all those roles. So, when it comes to administrative tasks, why do so many leaders try to do just that? I’ve known many individuals in various professions who have tried to do it all themselves, only to have their personal performance and physical health deteriorate from the stress and unnecessary burden they invited into their lives.

在组织的成功方面，有效的委托是绝对必要的。随后，不委派最终将导致无法充分发展您的团队。最后，每个人都会受苦。知道如何委派（以及要委派谁），不仅会使您的整体工作变得更加容易，而且还会向其他团队成员表明，您是一个有力的领导者，他们对每个人及其能力都有信心其中是更大的效率和士气的提高。

When leaders delegate responsibilities, they should give their team members the authority to take whatever actions are necessary to complete the task and achieve the desired result. This is as true in corporate America as it is in public service. Once you assign a task, don’t look over your subordinates’ shoulders and question why they are doing it “that way” rather than “this way.” Instead, make it a priority to arrange things so the task can be completed without interruptions from you or anyone else who may impede progress.

不要愚弄认为委派只是“通过责任”。确保有适当委派的奖励，对委托不良的影响绝对有后果。为了使主管有效地委派，他们应该首先对自己的职位感到安全，并了解周围人的才能，技能和能力。

当我作为事件指挥官时，我每次出现了一场结构大火，然后是四个携带十二名消防员的设备，消防员到达时首先向指挥所报告，并问：“您需要什么，酋长？”我立即将作业委托，他们离开了。不可避免地会分配一个团队来搜索建筑物的火底，另一个团队将霍斯线推进结构以限制火灾，而另一个则进行通风。如果这些团队的领导者训练有素，我不必告诉他们如何完成分配的任务；他们已经知道。他们应该：由于这个原因，消防员每天训练。

When as a team leader you give out an assignment, you want to know with 100-percent confidence that it will be completed within an acceptable time frame. That assurance comes when you fully understand the talents, strengths, skills, and abilities of each of your team members. Having competent, educated people around you takes the weight of the world off your shoulders.

An effective incident commander should delegate assignments on the fireground in the same way he delegates tasks at work every day. For example, when tackling administrative projects, such as developing a community-awareness fire prevention program, a smart officer will gather facts and accomplish specific tasks by effectively delegating them to the appropriate people. Delegation should happen in the planning, in the research, in the development, in the implementation, and in the evaluation stages of all projects, especially larger ones that necessitate more people. Every job is easier when you delegate properly.

破碎的习惯

Bad habits can be the biggest hurdles people have to overcome in delegation. Since they are used to doing everything themselves, they don’t know where to begin. If you fall into that category, following are some tips to help you delegate effectively.

1.建立并保持有利于委派的环境。

这首先是创造团队精神。作为团队负责人，您应该清楚地了解您要委派的任务。如果您的脑海中没有明确定义它，您将无法将其传达给他人。考虑您的预期结果，可用资源以及需要完成任务的时间表。在委派作业时，请准备定义任务的范围，所需的结果，可用资源，任务的敏感性，沟通准则，截止日期以及您对您选择的人的信心。当您委派时，您不会放弃责任。作为领导者，您仍在控制整个项目。

2.为工作选择合适的人。

When I became a tour commander, I went around to each station, stood in front of the firefighters who worked there, and asked each to share a little about themselves—specifically, what skills they had that could assist us on the fire scene or around the firehouse. We all learned things about each other that day. Some firefighters were licensed electricians or contractors, some spoke multiple languages, and others had computer skills. Having this knowledge made it easy to call on the right person for the right job. When delegating, ensure that the person accepting the assignment understands that accomplishing the task will benefit the entire team, not just himself. Team leaders should be acutely aware of their staff’s strengths and limitations and delegate accordingly. Ideally, the person chosen for a task should have the talent, skills, ability, knowledge, enthusiasm, and time needed to get the job done.

3.确保接受任务的人了解任务。

分配作业时，鼓励​​代表提出问题以消除任何混乱，并表达您移交了多少权威。您可以通过说“研究问题，提出一些可能的解决方案，我们一起选择最好的解决方案来提供指导。”或者，如果您对该人有足够的信心，请“解决问题并告诉我何时完成。”您委派的人应该清楚地了解您想要的东西，并意识到接受任务正在迈出他作为合格和有价值的团队成员的进步。

4. Keep an open-door policy.

Always keep the lines of communication open. Be available to provide assistance if and when needed. Let the delegate know that he should make first contact, but also tell that person to inform you only when things are not going according to plan. If the task or project will take several days, weeks, or even months to accomplish, schedule follow-up meetings to evaluate progress to ensure the project is moving forward. Such meetings need not be longer than a few minutes. Your main focus is to find out what has been accomplished, what needs to be accomplished, and if any problems have been encountered.

5. Be prepared to accept and deal with the consequences if that person does not meet your department’s expectations.

重要的是,你的队友知道你看了their backs when things unexpectedly go wrong; however, this does not mean that you have to accept less than their best effort. It simply means that when they make honest mistakes, you will approach the situation with a level head and consider that you assigned this task because you felt the individual was competent. An unsatisfactory outcome could result from factors that were out of the delegate’s control. Since you delegated the assignment to a team member in which you had confidence, that individual will absolutely deserve the benefit of the doubt when things don’t go as planned. Don’t forget that you assigned the task, not the responsibility, for the overall outcome.

6.始终奖励性能。

Reward and recognition are vitally important when it comes to expressing appreciation. As I worked my way through the ranks, I experienced and observed the reality that the people who work the hardest are often those who feel the most appreciated. As a team leader, it’s your responsibility to show appreciation of a job well done by recognizing quality work privately and publicly. Sincere recognition will increase your effectiveness as a leader and keep team morale high. Don’t reward a hard worker by giving him more work than you give to others. Although that is a sign of respect for a competent individual, it is also poor management to put so much work on one person’s shoulders that you fail to help develop the skills of others on the team. Consciously work to empower others so that they help you develop and execute your ideas, and you will become significantly more efficient than you could ever be by yourself.

Delegating is not an excuse to avoid work or unload difficult or tedious tasks on others. Effective delegation is an absolute necessity for a team’s success. When you divide tasks, you multiply your chances of success. Failure to delegate will result in a failure to adequately develop your team. Through delegation, your team will grow in confidence, and the team and the organization will benefit in the long run.

弗兰克Viscusowas a deputy chief for the Kearny (NJ) Fire Department. He is an international speaker and the author of加紧（188金宝搏是正规吗消防工程，2013年）和Step Up Your Teamwork（188金宝搏是正规吗消防工程，2015年）。