How To Delegate Your Tasks : In any group, the responsibility of achieving team objectives falls on the leader. But the team leader cannot do it all alone.
This is why delegation exists.
Experts agree that delegation is essential for productivity in teams and individuals.
A Gallup study revealed that CEOs who delegate correctly bring in a 33% higher revenue than those who do not.
If you want to be more productive as a leader, you must learn how to delegate your tasks effectively.
What Is delegation?
Delegation means giving other people a certain degree of responsibility that is directly included in their role and yours.
When you delegate, you give a person not only a task to carry out but the power to make certain decisions for which you will ultimately be responsible.
Authority is an important concept in delegation because only superiors can delegate to their team.
As a manager, you can delegate tasks that no longer contribute to your professional growth, but will to the growth of another team member.
Tasks that you should not delegate include disciplinary actions, performance reviews and conflict resolution among personnel.
Some managers hesitate to delegate because they are concerned that team members may lack the skills to do a good job.
Sometimes they simply do not trust their employees to work without supervision.
Managers need not fear delegation, they just need an effective system of assigning tasks and accountability.
Reasons to Delegate
Some people are afraid to delegate because they don’t want to be perceived as abandoning their duties.
For others, the belief is that their team cannot do the work as well as they would.
Whatever your fears are, below are some reasons you should try delegation.
Reduces Workload
The most obvious benefit of delegation is being able to reduce your workload.
Managers often have so much on their hands.
From negotiating with clients, authorizing company actions, monitoring projects and employees, planning and strategy and so on.
With delegation, they can remove some tasks from their to-do lists.
You can delegate items on your to-do list to someone else and create time for other essential tasks. It frees you up to properly rest and shift focus to other important tasks.
This is one sure-fire way to increase your productivity as a team leader or manager.
Employee Empowerment
Employees can benefit greatly from delegation.
It pushes them to take on tasks outside their comfort zone and learn the skills necessary to do them.
By continually engaging in those tasks, they develop skills above their pay grade.
These skills help the employees build capability for promotions to senior-level positions.
Many organizations view delegation as part of their employee empowerment programs.
They believe it broadens employee experience for better customer service and innovativeness.
Build a Stronger Team
Delegation is a way to show employees that you trust their capabilities and respect their decisions.
When subordinates feel that you trust their discretion, it inspires them to be more active and committed.
Proper delegation ensures that the employees actively participate in the delegation process.
The feeling of being included in the important decisions concerning the assignment of their task makes them more willing to work.
That’s because they will not feel like the manager simply dumped his duties on them.
How To Delegate Your Tasks
Delegation goes beyond just assigning tasks to people.
“Delegating strategically” means delegating with forethought and planning in a way that capitalizes on opportunities.
There are many factors to consider before you can be sure you have the right task for the right person.
Here are some essential guides to delegation.
Consider Strengths
Many times, managers commit the error of delegating to the individual with the lightest workload.
Other times they simply delegate to their favorite worker or someone who’s least likely to question the extra workload.
Delegating in this manner fails to deliver full benefits.
Each individual on your team has strengths and weaknesses.
Such as their areas of interest in career development, current skill level and ability to learn.
Consider all that when delegating so that the right person gets the right task.
An employee might struggle and slow down productivity if you assign them a task that plays only to their weaknesses.
Explain the Goals
It is important to clearly explain to the team member why they are getting the task.
You will explain what benefits the employee and the company will get from the delegation.
An employee who understands that delegated tasks are meant to help with capacity building and career advancement will put in great effort to get the work done.
Never Skip Instructions
No delegated task is too simple for you to assume that instructions are not needed.
It is crucial to give detailed instructions along with each assignment.
Be clear about the deadlines, expected results, etc.
Without instructions, the employee lacks the necessary guidance to deliver productive results.
Sometimes, you may need to go beyond instructions and give a demonstration of some skills.
It is a normal part of the delegation process and you can think of it as a long-term investment.
Provide Resources and Power
When you delegate a task, ensure that you release the necessary resources and authority.
The person you have assigned must have the tools and decision-making power to complete their task.
Maintain easy communication
Create an accessible channel of communication between you and your team members.
That way they can easily reach out to you for clarity or advice when they need it.
The communication channel should allow you to receive regular progress reports and provide feedback.
Give Credit
Employees benefit from delegation but remember the tasks were yours, to begin with.
That’s why it is important to show gratitude after every successful completion of a delegated task.
Give credit to whom it is due.
Apart from being the logical thing to do, it ensures that you have willing hands ready for future delegation.
Conclusion
Delegation allows you to build up the capacity of your workforce systematically.
It gives you the freedom to engage in the activities that matter when you want to measure productivity.
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