What tasks can you give away over Christmas?

My 8 year old is keen to help less fortunate children in Africa (charities at the bottom) and I suggested he hold a cake and bracelet stall at his school. My aim was for him to own the event and do the leg work with my role to gently guide and to offer suggestions where appropriate. What a challenge! How tempting I found it to jump in and write the emails for him (much quicker), to design the posters for him (much more effective) and to do the baking for him (much more efficient). My delegation skills were tested to the limit and I don't mind admitting that I found it hard. But, through empowering him, he has gained skills, confidence and is proud of his achievement. It was an investment. I would like to share the lessons I learnt, some tips on delegating and I would encourage you to delegate as much as possible to people at home and at work. The more the load is shared, the more we can all enjoy the festive period.

• Create a list of all the tasks you have to do (this is a useful thing to do anyway)
• Write down all the people you could delegate to. This list should include everyone over the age of 2 in your house (even 2/3 year olds can clean skirting boards with wet-wipes!)
• Allocate some of the tasks to each of the people. Tip - If you were taken ill and couldn't get out of your bed until Christmas, who would you delegate what to? You can direct from your bed but you can't do any of the tasks yourself. It may sound scary, but give the thought process a go.
• Ask people which tasks they would like to do (getting them to choose rather than dictating is likely to get more buy-in)
• Make sure they are clear what the task entails. They need to know what a successful outcome looks like? How will they know they have finished? When do they need to do it by? Giving people flexibility on timing allows them to fit it around how they feel and what they have going on (although you may need to be stricter with the under 5's!)
• Empower them by teaching them anything which will help them - skills, knowledge, tips.
• Check progress regularly - give feedback (some positive before the constructive feedback) and help solve problems but DON'T take over!
• Celebrate their achievements and show appreciation.

• Let people do things their own individual way. There is no right way to do things. Do not, under any circumstances re-do a job which someone has done because it is not perfect - you know what I mean! There are many ways to stack a dish-washer and I guarantee that your 5 year old won't stack it the most efficient way. Say thank you, close the door and put it on! And there is no perfect way to decorate a Christmas tree either. Celebrate everyone's creativity and go with the flow.

• Project LIGHT Rwanda help young people overcome trauma and build business skills http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/alisoun-mackenzie/alisounmackenzie
• An Ethiopian orphanage - www.tlccorphanage.org/index.html
   

Have a FANSTASTIC CHRISTMAS, from

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