Delegating Effectively: A Leader's Guide to Getting Things Done. Clemson Turregano

      As a first step, it might be helpful to get an idea of how effective you currently are as a delegator. You can use the Delegating Scorecard to rate yourself.

      Many leaders perceive the key benefit of delegating as simply getting something off their desk. But that is just the start. You may get it off your desk, but where does it go from there?

      Effective delegation is the mark of a good leader who has developed his or her team members, direct reports, and even supervisors to readily accept and excel at myriad challenges. It is important for work efficiency as well as effectiveness. Effective delegation contributes to teamwork, demonstrating trust, and sharing authority, allowing all team members to participate in a task. This participation is an essential step toward creating interdependence, a key indicator of high-performing teams. Effective delegation can also result in better decisions when competent individuals or teams are closer than the leader to a problem and have more timely information about it. In addition, effective delegation can provide individuals professional growth opportunities; enhance their value to the organization, confidence, self-image, and ultimately self-esteem; and offer more opportunities for people to learn new skills as they struggle with a challenging task that requires them to exercise initiative and problem solving.

       Delegating Scorecard

      Rate how effective you think your performance has been as a delegator and identify your strengths and challenges. The scale ranges from 1 (not very descriptive of me) to 5 (very descriptive of me).

____	1.	If others were asked, they would say I am a good delegator.
____	2.	I delegate tasks to those who will most benefit and develop from the assignment.
____	3.	I am aware of which kinds of tasks the individuals on my team are best able to accomplish.
____	4.	When delegating, I involve the individual or team in identifying the desired process and outcomes.
____	5.	When something goes wrong with a task I delegated, I give the individual or team a chance to work it out first.
____