Delegation means negotiation
Ralf
too.
There is of course more than just the black and white decision between
yes and no. A no is a clear rejection. End of the story. Once you say
yes to a new task in principle, the negotiation has begun. What
exactly needs to be done? What does the ordering party expect? Until
when? The purpose of the negotiation is not to achieve the minimum of
work for yourself, but the best for both sides: To do what is
necessary within a reasonable amount of time and with reasonable
effort. If you do more than expected, you need more time than
necessary and rarely receive the recognition you expect. If you do
less than expected, or if it takes too long, your employer, colleague
or client is dissatisfied. Satisfaction for both sides can therefore
only be achieved if the expectations are determined at the moment when
the task is handed over, and as clearly and detailed as possible. The
simpler the task, the less time it takes. For repetitive tasks, at
some point it will work without many words: ,,Please do it like last
time, that was good."
More sophisticated or demanding tasks are worth a few minutes of
discussion. Better speak about a few more details, than lose hours
because of a misunderstanding. Sometimes lack of clarity shows up only
once you start working. Do not hesitate to enquire. Enquiring is a bit
annoying, mistakes are often expensive. Asking a question does not
show your ,,stupidity", but it shows your interest in doing your job
right. It is good to learn from mistakes, it is better to ask
questions and learn from the answers. Make it your goal to get every
task right the first time you do it, and take the necessary time for
it. Taking your time increases the learning. Forget about efficiency.
As everyone knows who has ever learned to play an instrument (... or
typewriting): Speed comes by itself. What counts first is quality.
Remember this the next time you have to decide between yes or no: Your
success depends on the quality of your work first, the amount comes
second. Therefore say no to overload and yes to quality and
satisfaction!