A medical practice depends on an entire chain of delegated duties. The leaders, such as a physician or practice administrator or manager, must delegate tasks essential to the practice, or else he or she will never get to the major challenges of running a business.
Since delegation of duties is so important at all levels of management, handle the process very carefully. Don’t fall into a pattern called “dump and run” delegation. Dump and run managers delegate a task to an inadequately prepared individual, describe the assignment vaguely, or disappear from any further involvement with the task.
To prevent this from happening, follow these nine steps:
- Select the assignee thoughtfully.
- Make the assignment creative.
- Provide clear directions.
- Target a completion date.
- Encourage feedback.
- Be available to supervise.
- Evaluate the assignee’s performance.
- Avoid panic situations.
- Delegate only what you would be prepared to do yourself.
