PTA Leaders

Delegating and Goal Setting

Delegation and goal setting are two of the most important tools at your disposal. Leaders of organizations, including PTAs, need to mobilize and organize their resources, especially the human ones, to get the job done.

DELEGATION

Ask the following questions to help you decide whether or not to delegate something:

  • Do I have sufficient time to complete the task properly? If the answer is no, delegate it!
  • Does the task specifically require my supervision or attention? If it doesn’t, assign it to someone else.
  • Are my personal skills and expertise required to complete the task? If not, hand it off.
  • If I do not fulfill the assignment personally, will my reputation or the board’s be hurt? If the answer is still no, then delegate it.
  • Is there a member of the board who would benefit from, and learn, new skills by handling the assignment? If the answer is yes, offer him or her the gift of learning by doing. Give him
    or her the opportunity to take on a new responsibility.

There are six steps recognized by most management authorities to achieve effective delegation:

  1. Review the tasks to be done. Determine which ones others should do.
  2. Select the person best suited for the specific task.
  3. Encourage, train and motivate the person to accept the assignment.
  4. Explain the task fully and then turn over the job and the authority to accomplish it to that person. Check to be certain that your expectations are clearly understood. Ask questions to be certain that your expectations have been understood. Then step away and let the person complete the task.
  5. Provide support, encourage independence and develop confidence. Restrain from over checking on the progress of the task.
  6. Keep supervisory control, because, ultimately, proper completion of the task is your responsibility.

 

GOAL SETTING

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Goals set direction, provide purpose and accountability as well as outline a roadmap. They also provide direction and focus for the individuals as well as for the team buy-in.

A goal is a destination.It should answer the question of who we are and what we want to accomplish. Goals are written, relevant, attainable, observable, broad statement of a desired end. Goals reflect the mission of the group and give common focus to group’s efforts.

Goal Setting Process:

  • Determine the PTA’s role: What do we want to do?
  • Evaluate current services/resources.
  • Assess needs: What do our membership and communities see as ways we can fill the role we have identified? (needs assessments/surveys)
  • Set goals and objectives in priority order: Where will we go? What will we do?
  • Develop action plan/activities. Includes the steps and resources needed.
  • Monitor and evaluate

Getting Started:

  • Use Brainstorming for Goals
  • Use facilitator from outside group
  • Everyone participates, one at a time
  • One item proposed each turn, can pass
  • Recorder records each statement
  • No wrong answers, no debate
  • Work till all members pass or time is up
  • Each person can advocate for or against an item
  • Facilitator helps find common threads to combine
  • Group can rank items with value of 1-3
  • Highest ranking item is group’s consensus

Example:    The _________________PTA will
(#1-one or two action words about what you will do)
(#2- what/or for whom)
(#3- action word and achieve what result)
(#4- what will you do to ensure that you get #3)

The California State PTA will empower (#1) districts (#2) to develop effective leaders (#3) by providing the essential resources, training and support in a pro-active manner (#4).

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES