Do these scenarios sound familiar? You’re walking to your restaurant and an employee stops you to give a rundown of what’s happening; “Mary called off tonight so we have no hostess, our shipment was shorted the supplies you ordered, I’m going to clean out the stock room and after my break I’ll work on those files you asked me to do. The schedule will be done in a couple of days and,. by the way, the oven is not working right. Should I call the repairman?”

As you get farther into the restaurant, another employee stops you to give a rundown of his situation. This lasts another 5 minutes. Are you frustrated yet? Sure you are and you just spent a few minutes reading this. Imagine dealing with this everyday? You might think the problem is your employees. It might not be. It might be you! Hera are some tipe on being a better manager by delegating.

You want results, not details. Let your employes know that you want results. You don't need a play by play run down of their every move. You delegated a project to free up your time. Let them know that.

Don’t solve your employees’ problems. Often times employees will come to you when they have a problem on a project you gave them. Ask yourself "are they looking for you to give them the answer?" They may be wanting to take the easy way out and have you give them the answer. Or they might really be stuck on the direction they should go. As a manager and delegator you have to decide which it is.

Ask them questions. When an employee comes to you with a problem don't be so quick to give the answer. Ask them questions. This is key. When you do this you not only will create an employee who can get the job done, and not always bothering you, you will find out how this employee thinks and what leads them to their decisions. It will also free up more time for you in the future. The employee will think twice before coming to you knowing all your going to do is turn the tables on them. They will startasking themselves the same questions you would be asking them.

Give clear objectives. If you expect your employees to get a job done make sure they know what you expect.

Establish reporting systems. The best way is to set up a pre determined time when the employee will meet with you. This way you can give all your attention and eliminate the bombardment when you walk in the door.

Give deadlines. Employees need to be held accountable for their work. Giving them a deadline holds them accountable. You can always ask the employee when you assign the job when they think they can have it accomplished. This way they are being accountable to themselves.

Keep a delegation log. When you delegate an assignment, write it down. You’ll be able to monitor the progress. Follow up is a key step. You can always ask the employee how the project is going and if you can offer any help. Giving advice or steering them in the right direction is all they may need to get started on the right track.

Recognize your employees talents. Being a good delegator is like being a good coach. You have to know what projects each employee can handle and what projects they can’t. Remember you're trying to get more done. If you give an employee a project you know they can't handle you will be wasting your time.

Delegating is a key aspect of management. It's what separates good manager from great managers. Learning how to delegate can be difficult at times. Often we have the mentality that we can do the job better ourselves. That may be the case, but showing you can get work done through others can make yourself look good to your boss and will make your job much easier.