Delegation

delegate
verb dɛ-lɪ-ɡeɪt
to give part of one’s own work to someone else

Most time-management and personal effectiveness training programs will teach you that leaders should delegate work to their team members. While it is true that effective delegation of work will lighten your workload, there are many more reasons why you should actively consider delegation. By delegating tasks to your team members, you are letting them know in a very direct way that you trust them and respect their abilities. Employees who feel trusted and respected tend to have a greater level of commitment to their work, their employer, and, especially, their bosses. Delegation gives them opportunities to develop new skills and gain confidence, which are essential to their growth. And make no mistake, you cannot fulfil your own potential until you learn to delegate.

If you are a first-time leader, you will likely find delegation hard. You know you are still accountable, and confident that you can do it better than anyone around, you may feel nervous about letting go. A common refrain I also hear from my protégés, and can quite relate to, is, “I could have completed the work myself in a fraction of the time it took me to explain it to them.” There are other ways one can delegate poorly: some managers, fearful of losing control, hoard tasks, keeping the good ones to themselves. Poor delegators throw the work over the wall at team members without any support or follow-up and blame them later for poor results. Others, conversely, micromanage team members after delegating work to them because they do not trust them. In such cases, the attempts at delegation will result in poor quality of work and reduced team morale.

Delegation isn’t easy but it can be learned, and just like any other skill, the more we do it, the easier it gets. Here are a few things to keep in mind to delegate work effectively:

• Communicate clearly what you want done, when you want it completed and get out of the way.
• Give your team the context. It helps them see the “big picture” – this can result in original and creative contributions from them.
• If the task is new to them, offer them help in the form of training, tips or checklists.
• Ensure they know what resources they have access to and what decisions they can make.
• For large tasks, plan interim reviews and let them know what updates you want and when.
• Explain how you will measure how well the task was done.

If you are wondering what tasks to delegate, you may want to start with those that can be taught, are small and mundane and no longer belong to your current role. Remember to thank them when the work is done and give them some feedback on how they can do better.

Do you have any delegation stories to share? I would love to hear from you.