Delegating or Attempting to Delegate

Over the last while, I have been dealing with a challenge and running in to issue every time, I attempt this. 

I have an individual that keeps asking for more work because she wants to help me get some of my tasks completed, as she knows that I have lots of things on a rather full plate/platter.  At the end of February, I decided that I was going to sit down with her and start giving her some tasks so that she could help me get these projects moved ahead.  I wasn't planning on giving her major tasks, but at least things that would help me out.

I had my plan all in place, so we met, and I said let's sit down and start working on these projects together.  Well, the meeting sure didn't go as I planned because of course every time I tried to talk about something she interrupted with something she thought was more important.  I would then restart what I was saying so to make sure she was listening.  Then the biggest thing happened, the phone rang, and she answered that which it is part of her job.  The phone call resulted in an hour of her running around and going to other things relating to the phone call, even though I continued to ask her to get back to our meeting.  After she got everything done for the phone call, she put the chair back that she was sitting in for our meeting and went back to her desk.  I asked her to come back, and she said she would as soon as she sent a quick email.  Well as you can probably guess the meeting was over, and I never did get to give her any of the tasks that I had wanted to give her.

One big issue that I am seeing is when she takes notes, she writes them on scrapes of paper instead of in a notebook.  Of course, these pieces of paper have lots of very short notes and when she thinks she has everything done on it, she recycles the piece of paper. 

This week, I think I hit a total frustration point when I got an email from her asking me about an attachment.  The attachment was a note saying what a cheque was for.  She then in her email asked me what the cheque was for.  All of this was talked about last time I tried to talk to her because I told her I was expecting a cheque and where the cheque was to be deposited.  There may have been a note made about this cheque, but on a piece of paper that has since been recycled.

I am dealing with this challenge of someone wanting to help me but not listening to what I have to say, so I am now going to be writing the tasks down for her in email so that she can see what she has to do for me.  Maybe delegation through email will work better than delegation through discussion.  I will still attempt to have the discussion, but will reinforce it with an email.

Delegating is a challenge at the best of times, but when someone doesn't listen, it sure makes delegating a bigger challenge.