THE LAW DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

POSTGRADUATE BAR COURSE

2020/21
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
‘TIME MANAGEMENT & DELEGATION’

FRANK NIGEL OTHEMBI

DEFINTION OF TIME
Time has several definitions:
• 1.a. A non-spatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible
succession from the past through the present to the future.
• b. An interval separating two points on this continuum; a duration: a long time
since the last war; passed the time reading.
• c. A number, as of years, days, or minutes, representing such an interval: ran
the course in a time just under four minutes.
• d. A similar number representing a specific point on this continuum, reckoned
in hours and minutes: checked her watch and recorded the time, 6:17 A.M.
• e. A system by which such intervals are measured or such numbers are
reckoned: solar time.
• 2.a. An interval, especially a span of years, marked by similar events,
conditions, or phenomena; an era. Often used in the plural: hard times; a time
of troubles.
• b. times The present with respect to prevailing conditions and trends: You must
change with the times.
 ACCURACY OF TIME
KEEPING

• Time can be measured with varying degrees of accuracy from

a normal wrist watch to an atomic clock
• An atomic clock is the most accurate measure of time using
electronic microwave frequencies by calculating the number
of times an atom vibrates per second
• The accuracy with which you measure time depends on the
purpose for which you need to calculate time.
• Scientists require to know time in 1000ths of seconds
• A typical western citizen needs to know time in minutes
• A typical rural dweller needs to know time in half hour intervals
 What is Time Management

• “Time management” is the process of organizing and planning how

to divide ones time between specific activities and competing
demands.
• Managing times requires conscious control over the amount of time
spent on different activities so as to achieve maximum effectiveness
• Good time management enables a manager to work smarter – not
harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is
tight and pressures are high.
• On the other hand failing to manage time limits effectiveness and
causes stress.
• Being busy does not mean being effective – it might simply mean
that you are continuously running around in circles!
Hamster in a wheel
Key aspects of time management
• Creating an environment conducive to efficiency and effectiveness
• Efficiency v effectiveness
• Effectiveness – Doing the right thing
• Efficiency – Doing the thing right
• Driving from Kampala to Jinja through Lira and Soroti is neither effective nor
efficient. Driving there in 8 hours is effective but not efficient. Driving in 2
hours is effective and efficient. Driving there in 1 hour is also neither efficient
nor effective
• Setting of priorities
• Carrying out activity around priority areas
• Reduction of time spent on non-priorities
• Making an allowance for any unforeseen eventualities (if it takes you 2
hours to get to Entebbe airport and you need to be there 6pm leave at
3:30pm giving yourself an extra 30 minutes for unforeseen eventualities
e.g. flat tyre, bad traffic, police checks etc.
• Incentives to modify behavior to ensure compliance with time-related
deadlines.
HOW TO WASTE 10 MINUTES AT A
WORKSHOP
• Prayer (1 minute)
• Introduction of presenter (1/2 minute)
• Introduction of participants (3 minutes)
• Protocol (1/2 minute)
• Distribution of handouts (1 minute)
• Writing on flipchart (2 minutes)
• Summary of presentation (2 minutes)
 Time wasting activities

• Private visits to office

• Greetings

• Unnecessary meetings
 Time wasting activities

• Social media – WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat etc

• Talking on phone
• Personal emails & correspondences & surfing the web
• Online shopping
• Computer games
• Personal grooming – spending more than 5 minutes on hair and
makeup
• Long tea/coffee breaks
• Reading newspapers
• Long commute to work
• Office gossip
• In-fighting
 WHY KEEP TIME?

• Greater productivity and efficiency getting more done in

limited time (reduction in court case backlog).
• A better professional reputation for strong work ethic and
work excellence.
• Less stress.
• Increased opportunities for advancement.
• Greater opportunities to achieve important life and career
goals.
• Simple courtesy and good manners – why keep people waiting
Consequences of poor time
management
• Missed deadlines.
• Inefficient work flow.
• Poor work quality.
• A poor professional reputation and a stalled career – miss
chances for promotion.
• Higher stress levels.
Challenges of Time Management
• More useful when you are in a position of authority or control – a
junior employee will not be able to manage time well if his/her bosses
are poor time keepers.
• Social context. In a society that does not value time, your excellent
time management will not be appreciated. One will end up alone at a
meeting waiting for late colleagues.
• Slow response to emergencies and changing priorities. We live in a
dynamic world which is ever changing.
• Time management should not be time obsession One should not
spend all their time staring at their watch. Do not become a slave to
time!
• Time management must be for a personal or organizational purpose –
it should not be an end unto itself. It must be geared at achieving
efficiency and effectiveness.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF TIME

• Time is inelastic – it cannot be expanded nor reduced. 1 hour will

always have 60 minutes.
• Uniformly allocated. Everyone has the same number of hours in
any given day.
• Irreversible. Time moves forward and lost time will never be
recovered.

• Infinite universally but finite individually. You don’t know how

long you will be on this earth but you know it will not be forever.
SAYINGS ABOUT TIME
• “Time and tide wait for no man [or
woman to be politically correct]”
• “Procrastination is the thief of time”
• “Time lost will never be replaced”
• “There is a time for everything”
• “Time flies”
SAYINGS ABOUT TIME
• “There is a time for everything”
• “Men talk of killing time while
time slowly kills them”
• “Time is money”
 SAYINGS ABOUT TIME

• “Time is what we want most. But

what we use worst”
• “Time moves in one
direction. Memory in
another.”
• “If you don’t have time to do it right,
you’ll not have time to go it over”.
 Parkinson’s Law

• “Work expands to fill time available for its completion” –

twentieth-century British scholar C. Northcote Parkinson
• People have a tendency to take up all the time (and more)
that is allocated for completing a task.
• An assignment can be completed in 3 weeks or 6 weeks
without any substantial variation in quality
• A good manager needs to know the minimum time required
for completing a task without compromising quality
Eisenhower decision matrix
 Using the grid/matrix

• Quadrant I is for the immediate and important deadlines.

• Quadrant II is for long-term strategizing and development.
• Quadrant III is for time pressured distractions. They are not really
important, but someone wants it now.
• Quadrant IV is for those activities that yield little if any value. These
are activities that are often used for taking a break from time
pressured and important activities.
• Many people find that most of their activities fall into quadrant I and
III. Quadrant II is often under used. Yet, Quadrant II is exceptionally
important because one must work both tactically and strategically at
the same time. Finding ways to expand Quadrant II activities is a
common outcome from using this grid.
 Utilize limited time
effectively

• A manager needs to prioritize activities to be undertaken in

limited time
• We need to focus on the most important and urgent
assignments that will add organizational value
• We need to learn to be brief and to the point and to
summarize our opinions and instructions
 Delegation

• Delegate – assign or entrust someone with responsibility or

authority
• Delegate requires a principal who delegates and the delegate
to whom authority is delegated
• In an organization delegation is ordinarily from above – with a
person in a superior position delegation to a subordinate
member of the team
• There are rare instances where a subordinate will delegate to
a superior officer also known as delegating upwards.
• Delegation must be effective and complete – do not delegate
then follow up to supervise how the delegated authority s
being executed.
Why delegate
• Save time – you can focus on the bigger picture and legacy
issues when you delegate the smaller things
• Achieve more – by delegating you reduce heavy burden upon
yourself which can be overwhelming. You can complete more
tasks with more hands
• Increase your value by focusing on high value outputs
• Capacity building and skills development for team members
• Utilizing specialist skills you may lack
• Increased self esteem and confidence
• Greater job satisfaction
• Succession planning – you will not be there forever
• Greater efficiency
 Why delegate (contd)

• Greater synergies – 1 + 1 = 3
• Team flexibility
• Building greater teamwork
• Balanced workloads
• Better staff retention and greater work satisfaction
 What should you delegate

• Tasks that other team members can do

• Legally permissible – Accounting Officer may not delegate
certain functions
• Routine tasks
• Interesting tasks – don’t keep all the fun stuff for yourself
• Tasks others can do better than you
• Tasks others might enjoy more than you
• Tasks leading to skills development
• Whole tasks – don’t delegate pieces of work
• Time-consuming tasks
• Tasks for which you do not have primary responsibility
 What you should not
delegate

• Tasks you are required by law to perform

• Boring tasks
• Crises requiring your personal authority and expertise
• Ill-defined tasks
• Confidential matters
• Praises or reprimands
• Every task – over delegation is as dangerous as not delegating at all
• Planning, strategy, vision and legacy issues
• Tasks for which you take primary responsibility
• Tasks that have been delegated to you – delegated authority cannot
itself be delegated
 Determining who to delegate

• Short-term vs long-term – not who does it best but who will

benefit most in the long run from the delegation
• Deadlines – short deadlines required delegating to an expert
rather than a novice
• Skills gaps and need for development
• Skills and competences of team members
• Workload
• Likelihood of resistance
• Availability of support systems
Preparing to delegate
• Makes list of tasks and team members to ensure matching
• Define expected outcome and desired results
• Give clear instructions on task and scope
• Explain what but not how
• Ascertain available resources and support
• Anticipate pitfalls and questions
• Set clear deadlines
• Determine the quality of work required
• Determine available skills of the team members
• Schedule briefing meeting with the delegate
• Involve all team members
• Define accountability and performance benchmarks
• Check progress but do not spy or interfere
• Give positive feedback, encouragement and support
• Let go
 Solving problems

• You must be available to solve problems faced by the delegate

in execution
• Make modifications taking into account changing operational
environment and situation on the ground
• Get a brief concise summary of the problem faced
• Ask the delegate to suggest a solution before you give one
• Be patient – do not take hasty decisions
• Delegate the agreed corrective action where possible
• Guard against reverse delegation where delegated task comes
back to you
 Evaluating effectiveness of
delegation

• Give constructive criticism that will lead to improvement

• Criticize the action – not the person
• Give credit where it s due and commend good work
Barriers to delegation
• Not enough time – faster to do it yourself that to instruct person to
whom delegated
• Fear of losing control
• Not getting credit for completed task
• Losing task you enjoy
• Feeling you can do it better
• Fear of delegating yourself out of a job
• Lack of confidence in team members
• Lack of experienced subordinates
• Fear of failure
• Fear of being a scapegoat
• Jealousy and lack of support from other team members
• Lack of resources
• Rigid hierarchy and bureaucracy