Decide whom to delegate to

It's usually best to delegate responsibility for an entire task, project, or function to one person rather than dividing it among a number of people. This helps eliminate confusion. It also encourages initiative, problem-solving, and a sense of ownership of the assigned work. If the person then involves others in the assignment, everyone still knows who's ultimately responsible for the outcome.

Select the best person for the given assignment by analyzing the work to determine the skills that are required.

• What kinds of thinking skills are needed for this job? Does the work require problem-solving ability, logical thinking, decision-making, planning, or creative design?

• What are the activities that must be performed, and what systems or equipment will be needed? Do the activities include creating a new database, organizing, training, or coding?

• What interpersonal skills are needed to complete the assignment? Will the assignee need to speak with suppliers, negotiate for resources, or consult with experts?

Given the skills required to handle the assignment, ask yourself which of your direct reports is the right person for the job. Compare the skills required with the characteristics and capabilities of each of your staff members.

Consider these factors:

• Desires for development that the work could address. Ask yourself who has shown initiative and requested new challenges.

• Staff member availability. Avoid choosing an employee whose work on another project would be interrupted.

• The number of previous assignments you've delegated to each person. Try to delegate tasks among all staff members, to avoid overburdening a particular person or giving the impression of favoritism.

• How much support a staff member would need from you? If an employee needs a lot of assistance and you don't have enough time to provide it, that individual may not be the best choice.

• How long the staff member has been on the job? Avoid overloading new employees with delegated assignments until they're comfortable with their jobs.

You can also consider the possibility of dividing the work. If a project is easy to divide—for instance, it has a writing and a design component—and there are individuals on your team who have the required skills, splitting up the work may be a good approach for matching the right people to the task.