By Mary Hart  for our “99 Ways to Make a Positive Difference in Your Pharmacy” blog series

Delegate responsibility responsibly! Have you used any of these excuses to NOT delegate work?

• I can do it better myself.
• I don't know if I can trust her to do it.
• He isn't qualified to do it.
• She doesn't want any added responsibilities.
• I don't have the time to show anyone how to do it.
• She messed up last time, so I'm not giving her anything else to do.
• There is no one else to delegate to, no one has time.
• But, I like doing it!

To overcome these obstacles, you must first train yourself to believe the exact opposite.

Once you’re convinced that it’s in the best interest of everyone to delegate a task, make sure you do it responsibly or you’re setting both parties up for failure.

How to delegate:

• Create a plan! Don't give out assignments haphazardly.
• Invest in short-term training to gain a long-term increase in productivity.
• Delegate, don't abdicate. Someone else can do the task, but you're still responsible for the successful completion of it.
• Keep in touch while the project is being worked on and always congratulate and thank the person for taking the task on.

Others may end up doing a better job than you can or they may find new ways to complete a task. This is a GOOD thing! It means you are viewed at as someone who can help the organization grow others – and how powerful is that?

Mary is Hamacher Resource Group's Data Assets Coordinator and is responsible for HRG’s Data Assets team. Her team supports the documentation and execution of content capture including descriptive and transcriptive information related to product attributes. Mary is also responsible for the company’s project management process.