Delegating is a skill that when mastered it can take your career and leadership to the next level. Early in my career I struggled with delegation for two reasons.
1. I couldn’t communicate my wants and needs clearly to others.
2. My lack of trust in my colleagues/subordinates.
I selfishly feared others wouldn’t finish the tasks to the same standard. In the end I was robbing another individual the opportunity to grow and learn while overloading myself with mundane tasks.
Delegation can be used to:
- Free up time for busy leaders, opening up opportunities to focus on more strategic tasks.
- To outsource tasks and duties to more capable team members. There is no shame in accepting your limitations or asking for assistance.
If you delegate well, you can quickly build a strong and successful team.
WHEN TO DELEGATE
Delegation permits you to make the best use of your time and skills. This gives others the opportunity to grow and develop into their full potential in the workplace. It is a win-win for all involved but only when done correctly.
When delegating, consider these factors:
- The task should offer an opportunity for growth for the other person’s skill.
- Weigh the effort to properly train another person against how often the task will reoccur.
- The importance of the task – Delegating critical tasks can jeopardize the success of your project.
- Sensitivity of Information – Management tasks, like performance reviews, and others specifically assigned to you, should not be delegated.
WHO SHOULD YOU DELEGATE TO?
Once you’ve evaluated your tasks and decide to delegate; the next step is to consider the best possible candidate.
Consider:
- The experience, knowledge and skill level of your team members.
- What training and assistance do they need?
- Do you have the time and resourced to provide any training required?
- What are the work styles of the potential individual? Do they require support and motivation? Can they execute independently?
- What do your team members want from their job? Career growth? Recognition?
- What is the current workload of the potential delegate? Do they have time to take on more work?
- By delegating this task, will it require reshuffling of other responsibilities? What is the potential impact of this?
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN DELEGATING
When you first start to delegate, you may notice that the team member may take longer than you to complete tasks. This is because you’re an expert in the field and the person you’ve delegated to is now learning. Be patient. If you’ve chosen the best possible person, and you’re delegating correctly, they will quickly become competent and reliable.
HOW TO DELEGATE
There are several different levels of delegation, each with different level of independence and supervision.
1. The Delegate waits to be told what to do.
2. The Delegate asks what to do.
3. The Delegate recommends what should be done and then acts.
4. The Delegate acts, then reports results promptly.
5. The Delegate initiates action and then reports periodically.
Employees often move through these spheres during the delegation process. Your goal should be to get the employee to the last 3 (3-5) depending on the task to be done.
Evaluate the situation to match the amount of responsibility with the right amount of authority. Understand that you can delegate some responsibility, but you can’t delegate ultimate accountability. The buck stops with you!
KEEPING IN CONTROL
It is important that the chosen delegate is made aware of all information required for successful execution of the task. Take the time to explain:
- The reason they were chosen for the job.
- What’s expected of them during the project.
- Your goals for the project.
- Timelines and deadline.
Encourage your team member to share milestones, progress updates, and challenges, if they do occur. It’s imperative that you make yourself available to answer questions or offer guidance if needed.
While we shouldn’t micromanage, we mustn’t relinquish control altogether. The art of effective delegation lies with striking a balance between giving employees enough space while monitoring closely enough. This will make certain the job is done correctly and efficiently.
One way to encourage growth is to ask delegates for recommended solutions when they approach you with a problem.
EVALUATION OF WORK
Set aside time to thoroughly review any delegated work that was delivered to you. If possible, only accept work that is of the quality you need. You should not accept work that isn’t to the standard you expect. If you do, always give proper feedback. Neglecting this will rob your team member the opportunity to develop and grow.
This can cause you to be reluctant to delegate in the future, which will overload your own calendar.
Alternatively, when good work is submitted, make sure you recognize and reward the effort. Great leaders make it a habit to recognize and compliment good work. A small recognition will go a long way to build your team members’ self-confidence and efficiency.
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do” – Jessica Jackley
The Journey & The Grind 
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