The Importance of Delegation
Delegation is more than just offloading the small tasks that you really don’t like doing; it’s about strategically assigning responsibilities to the right people and shifting the decision-making authority to optimise productivity. There are many benefits, some of which include:
- Boosted Productivity: When tasks are distributed to the right people in your team according to their individual strengths and workloads, the overall productivity of the team increases.
- Employee Development: Delegation provides team members with opportunities to learn new skills and take on more significant responsibilities, supporting their professional growth.
- Enhanced Trust: Trusting your employees with important tasks demonstrates your confidence in their abilities, which can improve morale and job satisfaction.
- Leadership Development: By delegating effectively, you are encouraging your employees to step up, make decisions, and develop their leadership potential.
Barriers to Delegation
However, as many business owners and leaders know, delegation is not easy. It is hard to let go of the tasks and activities that you believe are what has made you and your business a success up to this point.We can all find those reasons as to why we can’t delegate ....
- It’s just too hard!
- It’s just quicker to do it myself
- Nobody can do it as well as I can (of course!)
- My team are stretched as well
- Every time I delegate, I end up coming away with more work myself
And I am sure reading this you can think of many more. The problem is, when you always think this way, you are not giving yourself the space and time to be doing the critical activities that will enable you to really drive your business growth and development forward.
But think for a moment about the long-term consequences of not delegating: burnout, your business stagnates, the skills and knowledge are concentrated in a few people leaving your business exposed if they leave, talented and capable employees get bored and leave, your customers do not get a good service, to name just a few. So ask yourself, can you really afford not to be delegating?
Practical Tips for Effective Delegation
Here are some tried and tested practical tips to help you effectively delegate to your staff that will give you the time to be focusing on what is really important in your role and business:
1. Identify the Right Tasks to Delegate
Not all tasks that you do are suitable for delegation. Start by making a list of absolutely everything you do and if you can’t think of it all in one go, track your time for a week or two, write absolutely everything down. This will help you to stand back and look at where you are actually spending your time. Then consider delegating tasks that:
- Are repetitive and time-consuming
- Can be performed by others with some training
- Are within the skill set of the employee or can help them develop new skills
Of course, you do not want to be delegating tasks that require your specific expertise or involve sensitive information or strategic decision-making.
2. Choose the Right People
Match tasks with employees based on their strengths, skills, and current workload. Consider their professional development goals and delegate tasks that will help them grow. If you are not sure if the employee is capable, consider initially delegating tasks that are of a lower priority to test out what they are actually capable of, you may be surprised.
3. Clearly Communicate Expectations
When delegating a task, it is important to be clear about:
- The objectives and expected outcomes
- Deadlines and milestones
- Available resources and support
Effective communication ensures that employees understand what is expected of them and helps them to feel confident in their ability to deliver.
4. Provide Support and Resources
Delegation doesn’t mean abandoning your team members. Provide the necessary resources, training, and support they need to complete the task successfully. If the employee needs access to certain systems, ensure that this is sorted out before delegating as you don’t want your enthusiastic employee who is eager to get started immediately facing a barrier to success. Make yourself available to answer questions and offer guidance.
5. Trust and Empower Your Team
Once you’ve delegated a task, trust your employees to handle it. Don't fall into the trap of micromanaging, as this can undermine their confidence and hinder their ability to perform. Empower them to make decisions and solve problems independently. One of the biggest barriers to delegation is the fear of losing control over the quality and standards of work but try to remember, if you put in the effort to train and support your employees well, there is no reason that they should not be able to deliver to those same expectations.
6. Monitor Progress and Provide Feedback
Once you have delegated the work, keep track of progress and offer constructive feedback. Using one of the many task and project management tools available such as Microsoft Planner, Asana, Trello, Productive etc. can help to give you visibility of the progress your employees are making. Acknowledge their successes and provide guidance on areas for improvement. Regular check-ins can help ensure that the task stays on track and that any issues are addressed promptly.
Building a Culture of Delegation
To truly benefit from delegation, it’s important to embed it into your company culture. Encourage an environment where employees feel comfortable taking on new responsibilities and where delegation is seen as an opportunity for growth rather than a burden. Consider incorporating delegation into your management and leadership programs. This is a key topic that we cover in the Dakota Blue Management Development Programme that can be delivered internally for small groups or on a one to one basis for smaller businesses. By fostering a culture of delegation, you can boost team performance and leadership skills as you approach the second half of the year.
Automation or Delegation
With every social media and business news platform filled daily with discussions about AI and automation technologies, we would be remiss not to consider automations an alternative. While delegation is a powerful tool for empowering your team, it's also worth considering the potential for automation. Some tasks, particularly repetitive and time-consuming ones, might be better suited for automation rather than delegation.
So, in the process of identifying the tasks that you could delegate, remember to also ask yourself which tasks could benefit from automation and compare the costs and efficiency gains of both approaches. By finding the right balance between delegation and automation, you may be able to free up even more time for you and your team to focus on the innovative, strategic and important activities that will truly benefit your business and enhance overall performance.
By taking the time to strategically streamline and delegate, or even automate, tasks, you can build a more productive, motivated, and skilled team. As you move into the second half of the year, take the time to reflect on your delegation practices and consider how you can improve them to achieve better results.
For more in-depth guidance on effective and efficient management, visit our website dakotablueconsulting.com or call us at +44 (0)1233 627 275 for HR consulting services.