One of the most demanding transitions for leaders is the shift from doing to leading. Peers and bosses may admire the willingness to keep “rolling up sleeves” to execute tasks and assignments. But, as your responsibilities become more complex, the difference between an effective and an overloaded leader is painfully evident.
You may have the stamina to get up earlier, stay later, and out-work the demands you face. Yet, there is only a limited amount that you can do, however hard you work. After all, you can only work so many hours in a day, and there are only so many people you can help. And, because the number of people you can help is limited, your success has limits.
Being able to delegate tasks is a crucial leadership skill. Delegating empowers your team, builds trust, and assists with professional development. And for leaders, it helps you learn how to identify who is best suited to tackle tasks or projects. But the art of delegating is easier said than done.
Here are some tips and techniques to use so you know just how to delegate tasks effectively. Learning how to delegate tasks will pay again and again, and will boost the success of the team you manage.
Identify the tasks you currently have to complete. Decide which ones must be completed by you and which can be undertaken by someone else.
Jenny Blake, a career and business strategist, suggests conducting an audit with the six T’s to determine the tasks you should delegate.
After deciding which tasks to delegate, you need to establish to who you will delegate them. Consider the strengths and skillsets of the members of your team and their schedules as well to see whether they can take on the task you will assign them.
Don't forget to check the employee's current workload and if they have enough capacity to take on additional work. Pushing too many assignments to one colleague that you know delivers high quality when others have a more relaxed schedule can create frustration and retaliation. A best practice leaders consider when dealing with delegation is a fair distribution of tasks among the team according to the skills, experience, and workload.
New York restaurateur Danny Meyer is well-known for his prosperous businesses, which include Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe, and Gramercy Tavern. In an appearance on The Tim Ferriss Show, he offered a straightforward yet effective 2x2 matrix that might assist leaders in determining where to focus their attention. This matrix, which shows the relationship between willingness and ability, can help leaders decide how best to spend their time.
Related: How to Become a Better People Manager?
Once you have identified the tasks and persons, it is time to assign the items to your team. When doing so, you want to ensure you are not just handing over duties but preparing them to complete them successfully, with the direction and context they will need. Do not set them up for failure when you assign tasks; this will lose the trust of your team.
Foster open communication in your team by receiving and giving feedback for effective delegation.
Use this opportunity to show appreciation. Showing gratitude will boost the morale and motivation of your team to perform well in the future.
While we have mentioned above that you don’t want to micromanage and ensure that your team has the authority and feels the responsibility to complete tasks assigned to them, you may still want to get some knowledge about how work is progressing.
You can use the timesheets feature to allow your team to track the time they are spending on your tasks.
Tip: It is important to know what tasks you should not delegate. Author Robert Heller, in his book How to delegate, highlights the following elements:
The inability to delegate tasks in the company reduces team efficiency. Here are the benefits that make delegation vital.
Find below a set of practices you should not avoid, and remove from your delegation toolkit:
Now that you know the DOs and DON’Ts of the delegating route, you need to understand how to delegate tasks so you can reap all the benefits without facing problems.
While theoretically, delegating tasks to your team may seem easy and practical, it can often be quite hard to master.
Delegation is the act of redirecting tasks and initiatives to other team members. You might delegate work to distribute responsibility more evenly or because the task is more relevant to another employee's priorities, skills, or interests.
Knowing when and how to delegate makes you a better manager. Delegating tasks can lighten your workload, but according to Dr. Scott Williams, professor of management at Wright State University, it does much more than getting stuff off your plate.
“Delegation can also be a clear sign that you respect your subordinates’ abilities and that you trust their discretion,” Williams writes. “Employees who feel they are trusted and respected tend to have a higher level of commitment to their work, their organization, and, especially, their managers.”
Managers free up time to focus on higher-value activities while keeping employees engaged with greater autonomy.
Many managers find delegation uncomfortable. For example, one research reveals that women leaders feel guiltier about delegating than male leaders.
Delegating does not mean you cannot handle things yourself or are not a good manager. Delegation improves your ability to identify projects that others can execute and benefit from the experience of doing the work.
There are many possible reasons why people might be afraid of handing over tasks or responsibilities:
What is the best way to delegate work so you can fight the fear of delegation, build an efficient team, and work faster? Here is a step-by-step guide on what to do:
A. Know when to delegate
Delegation occurs along a spectrum. The lowest level happens when you tell other people what to do. It offers little opportunity for employees to try new approaches. The most empowering form of delegation occurs when you can give up most of your control over the project to the employee.
B. Communicate your intentions and expectations
Use one-on-ones and team meetings to clarify individual and team goals and the distribution of work across team members. Try to make the best match between assignments and individuals to enhance engagement. Provide all the information and instructions the person needs for the task.
C. Assign tasks based on aptitude
When employees receive a task in an area they excel, they are more inclined to enjoy the work. As a leader, you should consider the skills of your employees, their willingness to learn, and their working styles and interests. The person you delegated will be able to carry out the work more effectively if they are capable, coachable, and interested. Your goal is to make teamwork a positive experience.
D. Offer training and support
Offer whatever training and resources your employees may need to complete their new tasks. Employees are motivated to complete the tasks when they feel qualified with the proper training. Let your team members know that you are available. Rather than micromanaging, provide guidance and constructive feedback.
E. Hold people accountable
Delegate means that you have transferred authority for the task to someone else. But, as a leader, you still have to hold them accountable. Give others the benefit of the doubt, and don’t be mean-spirited. One missed deadline at work deserves a stern warning, not a firing. Repeated deadline problems may warrant a cut in pay or responsibilities, however.
F. Show your appreciation
Finally, make sure you take the time to say “thank you” to your employees and let them know you appreciate the contributions that each one made to the project. Congratulating everyone for a job well done can help to keep office morale at a high point.
The art of delegating tasks
Separating responsibilities is not an easy task and requires enormous commitment from both sides, but as you can see, it has significant benefits.
Learning to delegate is a win-win-win situation. Your employees win because they get chances to grow and develop. Your company wins because they get more output, increased retention, and better-engaged employees. And lastly, you win because it improves your reputation, and it will put you in a position where not only are you in demand for higher opportunities, but you are free to take them.
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