Linda Darling-Hammond: The School Principal as Leader

Delegate...You MUST!

Delegating is assigning responsibility or authority to someone else. The advantages of delegating include:

• Providing growth opportunities for others (developing new knowledge and new skills)
• Reduces your workload
• The process encourages others
• It is a true sign of trust and respect of your faculty and staff
• It extends ownership and team accountability

You must not only delegate, but you must delegate effectively. Dr. Scott Williams,  Department of Management, Raj Soin College of Business,  at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, states that

in order to delegate effectively you must do the following:

• Have a plan
• Define objectives and standards
• Specify the range of discretion
• Involve subordinates in the delegation process
• Clarify performance consequences
• Match responsibility and authority
• Inform others that delegation has occurred
• When problem arise, insist that the sub ordinate recommend solutions
• Evaluate progress and results and provide consequences
• Continue to delegate

Williams provides details of the aforementioned items in the LeaderLetter issue below (Click on link).

http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/LeaderLetter/delegating.htm

Amy Gallo, a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, writes that you should ask others to hold you accountable if you are not delegating.  Another point Gallo makes is the importance of understanding why you are NOT delegating.  You may read Gallo's blog posting below entitled " Why Aren't You Delegating?"

http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/07/why-arent-you-delegating/

References

Gallo, A. (2012, July 26). Why Aren't You Delegating? Retrieved September 13, 2014.

Scott, W. (n.d.). Delegating Strategically. Retrieved September 13, 2014.

The Big Rocks: Priority Management for Principals- By Kim Marshall

http://www.marshallmemo.com/articles/Time%20Management%20PL%20Mar%2008.pdf

The Challenge of Leadership