Reflect and write a short 150-200 word reflection addressing the following questions:

• What did you visualize while participating in the journal on Delegating Effectivelythrough steps 20-54?
• What skills and concepts have you gained from participating in the journal onDelegating Effectively?
• What did you know before and what did you learn in the journal on Delegating Effectively?
• What did you learn in the journal that you won't forget tomorrow?

The most successful delegators are expert, self-disciplined managers who are efficient at choosing tasks to delegate and able to monitor and provide positive feedback to each delegate Selecting Tasks Before you can improve your delegating technique you must decide which tasks you could, or should, be delegating. The selection process involves assessing your time and that of your subordinates, and grouping and prioritizing activities. 20. Do not allow people to create unnecessary work for you. 21. Review and revise your detailed time log every three to six months. 22. If possible, attend only the meetings directly relevant to your work. 23. If you cannot fix a meeting for weeks, you are not delegating enough. 24. Do not prioritize easy task over those that are more arduous. 25. Do not attempt to undertake more than seven tasks in one day. 26. Make a habit of challenging long-standing routines. Deciding Which Tasks To Keep As a manager you should delegate as many of the lower-level operational tasks as possible. But you cannot delegate such areas as strategic planning, occasional crisis management, and sensitive matters such as salaries and promotion. 27. Always be aware of those tasks that you absolutely cannot delegate. 28. Plan your thinking time as a meeting, with an agenda and timetable. Planning a Structure with Delegations Delegation is a planned and organized sharing of responsibility that requires careful structuring. Once you have decided which tasks to delegate and which to keep set up a structure and devise an overall plan for all the individual delegations involved. 29. Devote sufficient time and effort to the organizational plan and structure. 30. Cultivate trouble shooting talents for emergency delegations. 31. Start considering possible delegates when planning the tasks to be done. 32. Ensure you provide enough support and backup to each delegate. Considering Roles Unless you are intending to delegate the management of an entire project, you will need to consider the various roles that could be delegated. Assess these in relation to potential team members and consider the contribution each individual could make. 33. Ensure that you have an informed assessment of a delegates abilities. 34. Be supportive of all delegates whenever any mistakes are made. 35. Do not give advice if delegates can manage without it. 36. Pick delegates who are honest enough to tell you if they disagree with you. Understanding Accountability Accountability is at the very heart of delegation, so before you finally select your delegates, consider who you are going to make responsible for what. Accountability must be strictly defined as that there is no doubt over where it lies and what it covers. 37. Make clear to delegates the areas for which they are accountable. 38. Always confirm all paths of accountability in written form. 39. Encourage staff with shared tasks to form effective partnerships. 40. Establish a culture that recognizes success and avoids blame for failure. 41. Ensure that written documents are circulated to all relevant staff. Choosing the Right Person It is very important to choose the right person for the task at hand. The first few times, it will be a case of trial and error, but before long you should learn how to better assess the skills, and therefore the person, needed for every situation that arises. 42. Never accept a delegates own self-depreciating assessment. 43. Be sure that you are always available should a delegate require help on a given project. 44. Ensure that your staff does not take on too much. Preparing a Brief When planning a brief, first define your objective and compile a full checklist to ensure that all the individual aspects of a task are included. The more complete the final brief, the more confident you can be that the task will be successfully executed. 45. Make all the objectives as precise as possible when briefing 46. Do not set too many controls when you are writing a delegates final brief 47. Incorporate a reporting plan into each brief. 48. Ensure that the delegate fully understands and agrees to the brief. Securing Agreement in Principle A greeting in principle on a brief with your proposed delegate involves contributions from both sides. You must motivate the delegate and confirm their sustainability, while the delegate has to understand the brief and consider whether they can take on the task. 49. Approach the delegate first before finalizing the brief. 50. Do not hesitate when delegating be positive. 51. Consider positive and negative comments when finalizing the brief. Briefing Effectively Once you have reached an agreement in principle, refine the brief and organize a detailed briefing meeting. Select your approach carefully, since the outcome of this meeting is vital to the success of the partnership between delegator and delegate. 52. If a delegate is negative at the briefing, reconsider the assignment. 53. Keep on encouraging delegates after they have taken on a task. 54. Ask for any new ideas when your delegate reports on task progress.