I work with a team of high-level computer science students (with work experience from Apple, Pixar, NASA, and Facebook) at the Skydeck incubator, and we developed a mobile app that … This frees you to do more things of higher value. At least let the person know he sent it to the wrong person. The rule is that you never delegate an important task to a person who has not performed that task satisfactorily in the past. If you don’t hear from him, you can assume that everything is going well. How to reply to emails that I may have received by accident, name mixup or whatever reason where I don't even know the right recipient? I'm sending this request to him, and here is his contact information as well. Sign up / in. I have seen people get the wrong thing, ignore it as not pertinent to them, and then the right person never gets it. In my organization, I know certain people might be able to tell me who is responsible for system X; a quick walk and a chat and I could reply, copying the correct person, indicating that they might know. Your Privacy is Guaranteed. It's a managers job to handle things like this. Make sure you have some idea who is sending this email.

How will you measure to determine whether the job has been done properly or not? (include phone and email for contact as appropriate.) The only accurate predictor of future performance is past performance. If it is from someone within your own company, and not the highest level of management, then a quick reply that you think they have the wrong person, what you do, such as geekrunnings' example shows, is very appropriate. When I write sales letters or emails, I guess at who would be the pertinent decision maker, but what wordage should I use to professionally and courteously say "If you aren't the right person to make this decision, please forward me on to the person who would be"?

Keep … Many of the routinized tasks and activities in a company or business could be quite easily eliminated with no loss of productivity and great increases of ineffectiveness.

The reply is similar to the reply to management, but show that you're willing to be contacted again if this redirection doesn't help. I think this is great if you know the requestor is an insider. How can I politely request a correction via email?

Rooting out these opportunities for increased efficiency can dramatically increase sales and profitability for an organization or department. In order for delegated tasks to be effective, you should first consider these questions: Ask the question, “Who can do this job instead of you?” Remember, you have to delegate everything possible in order to have enough time to do those few things that are most important. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Service. How should I handle same name email mix-ups? Right now I'm using "you or whoever … Thank you for reading this post on how to delegate the right tasks to the right people. And above all don't just ignore it. If you aren't the appropriate person, could you please connect me with the person I should be talking with? You should ask, “Who can do this job better than me?” One of the characteristics of effective managers and successful leaders is that they have the ability to find people who are superior to them in specific tasks. Ask an Expert is made up of groups and individual experts. To achieve everything you are capable of achieving, and to be able to concentrate on those few tasks that can make the greatest contribution to your life and work, you must become excellent at delegation. If the job is on track, and on schedule, managing by exception means that the person does not have to report back to you. Manage by exception whenever possible. Can you help? When you learn how to delegate effectively with a few staff members, you will soon be given more people to delegate to, plus greater responsibilities, as a result of your delegation and effective management skills. With effective management and delegation skills, you can tap into that unused 50-percent potential to increase your staff’s productivity.

6. Can you help? This frees you to do more things of higher value. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Next Post »6 Obstacles to Creative Thinking and How to Overcome Them: Develop Problem Solving Skills for Business Success.

You want your company to look like it cares for its customers, so it's important to care about getting the email to the right person or department. I'm going to say that it really matters who the email is from. All managers with outstanding management skills are excellent delegators. I hope you are the right person to ask this question to, if not, can you direct me to that person? You keep making excuses to stay together . The second step in delegation is to set performance standards. Have him or her explain to you what you have just explained and agreed upon. The individual only has to report back to you when an exception occurs and there is a problem with getting the job done on time, to the agreed upon level of quality. NO to be "professional" it's your job to handle it maybe passing it up the chain is the right way but in some cases you deal with it. Set a deadline and a schedule for completion of the task. Depending on their status within your organization, you may have to put more time and effort into this. How to reply in a professional manner to emails that I am the wrong recipient for?

Without the ability to delegate effectively, it is impossible for you to advance in management to higher positions of responsibility. I'd give this 5 minutes tops, but agree that it may reflect well on you, especially if the person emailing you is senior, @CodingKiwi Eh, on a slow day I might spend 30 minutes, when I'm busy I'd spend 0.

Explain how you would like to see the job done, and how you or someone else has done it successfully in the past. How to reply to an angry email for a problem the sender caused. At the same time, arrange for regular reporting and for periodic inspection. Learning how to delegate is not only about maximizing your own productivity and value; it is also about maximizing the productivity of your staff. The ability to delegate is one of the top leadership qualities of great leaders. If you are not the right person would you please forward this to the individual in charge of company donations? First is the "sorry, can't help you" email, which geekrunnings provided a fine example of. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. If they are on schedule and on budget, they do not need to report. If you can find out who the right person might be with < 30 minutes effort, it can boost your reputation for being helpful if you do so. How do I choose the correct Japanese honorific usage for emails? I was one of the people sending emails to the wrong person, and my boss brought it to my attention about a week after I started copying someone who shouldn't have been in the list. Ask yourself and others, “Can this activity be eliminated altogether?” What would happen if the job were not done at all?

How can I better handle 'bad-news' talks about people I don't care about? Do mirrors extend a Medusa's Petrifying Gaze? I hope you are the right person to ask this question to, if not, can you direct me to that person? Asked by Wiki User.