You get this email back: From: Pamela Hutchinson To: Subject: Coming to Germany Dear It was great to get your email. In fact, great minds think alike, I was going to email you too but you got there first. I’m actually coming to Germany and right to your neck of the woods too next month. It’d be really nice to meet up and get to know each a bit better. Will you be around between Oct 17 – 19? Let me know what your plans are and then we can arrange to have dinner or something. All the best Pam Task 11 Answer her email telling her you are around, you would like to meet her, and suggest a time and place. From: To: Subject: Dear 40 Building business relationships 4 Delegating Increasingly, we find ourselves trying to do too many tasks at the same time and consequently feeling frustrated that we never get to the end of our to-do list. The most effective way of remedying the situation is to delegate some of our work. This isn’t, of course, always easy for the control freaks amongst us. Delegating shouldn’t be seen as a negative but as a proactive solution. Do you associate terms such as letting go with delegation, or is delegation something far more dynamic? Delegation is dynamic. It means work gets done through the process of the leader passing on authority and responsibility at the right time to the right people. Know your team and the task requirements As the leader of a team you will have assessed your team; you will already know their strengths and weaknesses as well as your own. When deciding who should do which tasks, the following areas should be considered: ᭤ Where does the task fit functionally within the team? For example, if someone is already working on financial matters, would the new task fit into this existing area of work? ᭤ Who has enough time and a workload which allows for additional tasks – or can some existing tasks be delegated to someone else? ᭤ Who would be interested in taking on the new task? ᭤ Who has the skill and experience required? ᭤ Who would respond well to a new challenge? ᭤ Who would you like to give this opportunity for development to? WARNING: Leaders may be tempted to delegate to people who always say yes or those who always produce good work, and as a result, those people can become so overloaded that they find the situation unacceptably stressful. The workload needs to be spread evenly across the team. You will need to start planning delegation as soon as you see work overload on the horizon. Analyse the workload, the time available, and earmark team members for additional or new tasks. This means you have to know exactly what the new tasks involve so that you can clearly communicate this to the team members. Vocabulary Words with over In the paragraph on the previous page there is an example of a word with the prefix over, overload. The prefix over has four main meanings: ᭤ too much, e.g., overpopulation ᭤ above, beyond, across, e.g., overhead telephone wires ᭤ outer, e.g., overcoat ᭤ additional, e.g., overtime The phrase work overload, therefore, means too much work. Task 1 Match the word or phrase to its definition. The first one has been done as an example. Word or phrase with over Definition 1. the overall cost 2. an overbearing colleague 3. go overboard 4. overcome her shyness 5. This announcement is long overdue. 6. The company became overextended financially. 7. an overhaul of the tax system 8. Nobody could overlook the fact that sales were down. 9. overriding consideration 10. The final speaker overran by half an hour. 11. The seminar became oversubscribed. 12. overwhelmed with paperwork 13. overwrought D A. took more time than expected B. do something too extremely C. very worried/nervous/upset D. including everything E. not notice F. too many people want it G. successfully control a feeling/ emotion H. it is too much/difficult to deal with I. domineering J. not made by the time expected K. detailed examination with the purpose of making improvements L. more important than all others M. borrowed more money than they could repay 42 Delegating Excellent communication skills The person who you would like to take on the new tasks needs to be consulted. When the person has agreed to take on the new tasks, get this team member on board early on in all the discussions related to the tasks. In this way, they are well briefed and have the opportunity to influence the decisions made. This is often a good opportunity for the leader to point out the team member’s strengths and to communicate the fact that, by delegating, the leader is recognising the abilities of the team member. It goes without saying that when delegating, a clear description of the task and clear instructions are vital. The type of language you use (formal/ neutral/ informal) and the tone you use (authoritative/negotiating) will depend on company culture, your relationship with the team member, and perhaps the nature of the task. Expressions for getting something done Task 2 Are the following expressions authoritative or negotiating in tone? Put A for authoritative or N for negotiating next to each one. 1. Do you think you could 2. I need you to deal with 3. Would you mind 4. You’ll have to 5. Do you think you’d be able to 6. It would be great if you could 7. I’m going to hand xxxxx over to you. 8. You’re to see to it that 9. Now, what I want you to do is 10. Could I ask you to Sample sentences ᭤ Maria, could I ask you to take on responsibility for producing the quarterly sales report? ᭤ Jack, I’ll need you to deal with the increased number of client calls we’re bound to get as a result of the advertising campaign. ᭤ Do you think you’d be able to get your initial thoughts on this back to me by Friday, say? ᭤ You’re to see to it that we’re getting the maximum discounts available on all our orders. Excellent communication skills 43 Task 3 Write a sentence asking someone to do something for each of these scenarios. Think about which tone, negotiating or authoritative, would be suitable. 1. Eva must redraft the contract by the end of the day. 2. You’re not sure if Mark will be able to meet the visitors arriving at 10 pm. 3. You wonder if Carla would like to take on the responsibility for organizing the con - ference in Geneva. 4. It is essential that Tom contact all the people going to the 2 pm meeting to inform them of the room change. 5. You’re running out of time and hope that Emma can collate the seminar folders for you. Empowering and ongoing support Delegating means giving a team member the authority necessary to carry out the task and when the team member accepts the responsibility, they become accountable to you for the outcome. When a team member becomes accountable for a task, the team leader, in turn, is responsible for supporting the team member with resources and training. Team members should have a sense of ownership of their new tasks and realise that they can influence some of the decision making in the company. Similarly, they realise that the leader trusts their professional judgment. Support needs to be ongoing, for example, during work on a project, the team leader may have to: 1. review objectives 2. discuss actual and potential obstacles 3. clarify the task 4. elicit/give feedback 5. show appreciation 6. review resources required 7. review deadlines 8. ensure all lines of communication are open 44 Delegating . nature of the task. Expressions for getting something done Task 2 Are the following expressions authoritative or negotiating in tone? Put A for authoritative or N for negotiating next to each. like to take on the responsibility for organizing the con - ference in Geneva. 4. It is essential that Tom contact all the people going to the 2 pm meeting to inform them of the room change. 5 responsibility, they become accountable to you for the outcome. When a team member becomes accountable for a task, the team leader, in turn, is responsible for supporting the team member with resources