How To Delegate Effectively

The ability to delegate is an important management skill. However, for some, it is the most difficult to put into practise. Managers may be hesitant to delegate work for a variety of reasons. They could:

• Consider how much longer it would take to explain the work than it would take for them to complete it.
• Want to feel indispensable to their team as the repository of specialised knowledge?
• I prefer not to reassign some assignments since I enjoy completing them.
• Feel bad about piling more work on another employee's plate?
• They don't have faith in or confidence in the people they'll be entrusting the project to.
• They believe they are the only ones capable of doing the job correctly.

Whatever the reason, it's critical to keep honing the ability to delegate, as refusing to do so might have detrimental implications. You'll not only overwork yourself and prioritise the wrong activities, but your colleagues will lose out on important learning and development chances.

WHAT IS DELEGATION AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

The transfer of responsibility for specific duties from one person to another is referred to as delegation. When a manager gives particular responsibilities to their staff, this is referred to as delegation. Managers free up time to focus on higher-value operations by delegating certain responsibilities to team members, while also keeping employees motivated with increased autonomy.

9 DELEGATION TIPS FOR MANAGERS

1. Know What to Delegate

It is not possible to subcontract every work. For example, you should be in charge of performance reviews and any personnel issues. After all, employing the proper people and understanding each one's skills and weaknesses will help you allocate deliverables and delegate responsibility to the suitable team members. Several other day-to day actions, on the other hand, do not necessitate your supervision. Is there a task you consistently do despite the fact that your coworker is better qualified to do so? Is it possible that delegating the project to other staff will help them advance their careers? Delegate if you think someone else could handle the job better or if you think this is an instructive moment. It will demonstrate your trust and appreciation for your staff while also allowing you to devote more time to more strategic projects.

2. Play to Your Employees’ Strengths and Goals

Every employee should have a set of objectives to work toward, and within those objectives should be opportunities to delegate. Perhaps you have a direct report who wishes to advance in his or her career. Is there an intern they could begin overseeing or a well-defined project they might take on? It's possible that the type of job you delegate will have a role in their professional progress. Other jobs are likely to be completed by someone on your team who possesses the precise skill set required to achieve the desired outcome. Use this to your advantage and play to your employees' abilities. When people believe they have a better chance of succeeding, they are more driven and engaged, which benefits the entire company.

3. Define the Desired Outcome

Simply dumping work onto someone else’s plate isn’t delegating. The projects you hand off should come with proper context and a clear tie into the organization’s goals.

4. Provide the Right Resources and Level of Authority

If the individual you’re delegating work to needs special training, resources, or authority to perform the allocated assignment, it’s your duty as a manager to offer all three. Setting someone up for an unachievable assignment will annoy both parties; your colleague will be unable to reach the required result, and you will most likely need to reschedule that work.
You must also resist the impulse to micromanage at this point. Telling your coworker how you would complete the assignment step by step and then managing every step of the process would not allow them to learn or build new skills. Instead, concentrate on the desired outcome, why the work is important, and how to bridge any gaps between the outcome and their present skill set.

5. Establish a Clear Communication Channel

While you want to avoid micromanaging, you do want to establish a communication channel so that the person you’re delegating to feels comfortable asking questions and providing progress updates.

6. Allow for Failure

This stage is especially critical for perfectionists who refuse to delegate because they believe their way is the only way to do the task. Allowing for failure is necessary not because your staff might fail, but because it allows for experimentation and empowers the people, you're allocating duties to try something new. You'll have an easier time delegating when you're able if you're open to different ideas and methods to the work.

7. Be Patient

You probably have more years of experience in your field as a manager. As a result, a task that you can finish in 30 minutes may take an employee an hour the first time they do it. You may be tempted to avoid delegating certain duties because you believe you can complete them faster, but be patient with your colleagues. Consider the first time you finished a given assignment in your professional life. Your time management abilities have improved, and you were probably not as efficient as you are today. You'll notice that as you continue to delegate and your employees become more comfortable with the responsibilities at hand, the job will get done faster over time.

8. Deliver (and Ask For) Feedback

You should provide feedback to your staff when the duties you've delegated are completed, in addition to monitoring progress. Don't be scared to offer constructive feedback if a task wasn't finished as expected. When a similar assignment is issued again, your staff can use this feedback to make modifications. When a task is completed well, remember to provide positive feedback and show your thanks. You should also ask your team for any input they can give you to ensure that you're delegating effectively. Inquire if you gave clear directions to your staff, and see if there's anything you can do to improve your delegation skills in the future.

9. Give Credit Where It’s Due

After you’ve delegated tasks and they’ve been seen through to completion, credit those who achieved the work. Recognizing that success is because of your team is not only right, but it has the added benefit of making those around you more engaged—making you even more successful. The more you thank and credit those you’ve delegated work to, the more likely it is they will want to help you on other projects in the future.