Delegating Work (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

Harvard Business Review

• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781625272232
• eBook ISBN:
  9781625272287
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Skills
• Index: Business

You know you need to delegate some of your work so that you have time to focus on the things that require your expertise. But it's not easy to do. Delegating Work quickly walks you through the fundamentals of:

• Establishing a productive environment
• Assigning the right work to the right people
• Conducting an effective hand-off meeting
• Monitoring without micromanaging

Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives--from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

Index

accountability, 55–56

analysis

—of required skills, 39–42

—of strengths and weaknesses, 42–47

assessment

—availability, 43

—of completed assignments, 75–78

—of delegation skills, 13–14

—of employee performance, 47, 76

—of employees through delegation, 8–9

assignments

—communicating, 17–21, 57–58

—explaining, 53, 54–57

—making, 15–17, 53–58

—providing support during, 63–66

—reviewing, 75–78

—selection process for, 31, 42–47

—setting goals for, 32–33

—spreading among employees, 41, 43

—tracking, 58, 61–71

authority, 4–5

—explaining level of granted, 55

—fear of losing, 24–25

—how much to delegate, 31, 47–50

—notifying others of granted, 64

background material, 54

blaming, 71, 76

career development, 4, 6–9, 17, 27

—selecting for assignments based on, 42–43

—teaching delegating skills and, 77–78

coaching, 6, 55, 63, 70

communication, 8

—about assignments, 17–21, 53, 54–57

—with teams, 57–58

concerns with delegating, 22–28

confidence, 6–7, 70

—lack of in staff, 25–26

control, 4–5

—fear of losing, 22, 26–27

—focus on results vs. methods and, 65

culture, fostering delegation through, 14, 15–21

deadlines, 55, 67, 70–71

debriefing, 75–76

decision-making skills, 16, 47

delegating

—appropriate and inappropriate, 33–37

—benefits of, 5–9

—building the foundation for, 13–28

—concerns about, 22–28

—making assignments and, 15–17, 53–58

—preparation for, 31–50

—purpose of, 4–5

—reasons for, 3–9

—reverse, 68–70

—reviewing the process of, 75–78

—teaching skills in, 77–78

—thinking about, 20–...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Why Delegate?
• Building a Foundation for Effective Delegating
• Preparing to Delegate
• Making the Assignment
• Monitoring the Assignment
• Review the Process
• Learn More
• Sources
• Index
• Back Cover