Delegation, let’s break it down for you.
Delegation is a necessary crucial attribute not just in business but in life overall. To be successful in both is not an easy task, it requires practice. We are not superman or wonder woman who can do all things in just a snap. We are not superheroes and everything will be done in the blink of an eye. Learn the essentials of delegation and how to master it.
For several reasons, managers may be unwilling to assign tasks.
They may think and say…
- “I suppose that breaking down a to someone task might take more time than really doing something.”
- “I feel bad for adding extra tasks to someone’s to-do list”
- “I know someone can take on this project and can finish it faster, but I worry of letting it go…”
Or feel that…
- …desire to be immensely valuable to the team by preserving relevant skills
- …certain projects are enjoyable to do, hence they should not be reassigned.
- …they lack faith or trust in the person to whom they must handover the project.
- …and believe that they are the only ones capable of doing the task correctly.
It is vital to continue practicing the skill since refusing to delegate might have major consequences. By prioritizing the wrong events, you will not only overwhelm your schedule, but your workers will miss out on important learning and growth opportunities.
DELEGATION: WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Delegation is just a shorter word for assigning authority to others for particular functions, tasks, and decisions.
In business, delegation happens when a supervisor gives selected duties to their subordinates. Administrators focus employees’ attention on larger goals by assigning specialized jobs, while increasing independence keeps employees motivated.
A Gallup study found that CEOs who succeed at delegating make 33% more money. Effective leaders understand that they’re doing everything themselves and assigning work to their teams that they are certain will be accomplished, so empowering people, improving morale, and increasing productivity.
Consequently, CEOs have more time to devote to initiatives that will yield the highest returns and help the company grow.
This source provides strategies for effectively delegating and developing top members of the team.
DELEGATION ADVICE
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Recognize How to Outsource
Every duty cannot be allocated. For example, you should manage performance assessments and any personnel difficulties. After all, hiring the right individuals and understanding each employee’s skills and limits will increase your capacity to distribute deliverables and transfer responsibility to the appropriate team members.
Several other daily activities, on the other hand, do not require your supervision. Is there a task you frequently complete while knowing your teammate is more equipped to handle it? Would passing the project to other staff improve their careers? Delegate if someone else could do the job better or if you feel this is an instructional time. It will express your trust and admiration for your employees while also allowing you to focus on more important challenges.
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Take use of your workers’ talents and ambitions
Opportunities for delegation should exist within the context of each employee’s ambitions, which they should all strive towards. Work that you assign them may be considered part of their professional development strategy.
Other jobs are almost certainly filled by someone on your team who possesses the necessary skill set. Take advantage of this and play to your workers’ abilities. When employees think they have a better chance of success, they are more motivated and engaged, which helps the entire company.
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Define the Ideal Result
Delegating is not about throwing work onto someone else’s plate. The initiatives you delegate should have adequate context and a clear link to the organization’s goals.
In the online Management Essentials course, Harvard Business School Professor Kevin Sharer explains, “You have to have true clarity of aim.” This involves agreement on “what good looks like” and by when, as well as “the procedure for assessing achievement.”
Before someone begins working on a project, they should understand what they need to finish and by when, as well as the criteria you’ll use to assess their progress.
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Provide the Appropriate Resources and Authority
If the individual to whom you are delegating work need special training, resources, or authority to accomplish the job, it is your responsibility as a manager to give all three. Setting someone up for an unrealistic assignment will annoy both parties; your colleague will be unable to attain the intended result, and you will most likely need to re-add that activity to your to-do list.
This is also the point at which you must resist the impulse to micromanage. Telling your coworker how you would complete the task step by step and then managing each stage of the process would not allow them to learn or build new abilities. Instead, concentrate on the intended result, why the work is essential, and how to close any gaps between the objective and their existing skill set.
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Create a Clear Communication Channel
While you should avoid micromanaging, you should build a communication route so that the individual to whom you are delegating feels comfortable asking questions and providing progress reports.
“You have to have some method of communicating so that the person you delegated to can report back to you,” Sharer says in the Management Essentials course. “You’ve got to have some method to see how things are progressing along the road.” It’s not a case of set it and forget it. That is, ‘I just give you the assignment, and I’m done with it.’ We’ve need to figure out a means to track progress without my getting in the way.'”
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Openness for Mistakes
This phase is critical for overachievers who despise delegating though since they believe their method is the only way to complete the project. Allow for failure—not because your staff will fail, but because it will allow for experimentation and will empower those to whom you delegate duties to try something new.
When you’re open to new ideas and approaches to your profession, you’ll find it simpler to delegate.
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Be Persistent
You almost probably have more decades of work experience as a supervisor. As a result, a process that takes you an hour for you might take a staff 30 minutes the first time.
You may be tempted to resist delegating some duties, you might think you’re able to complete tasks faster and efficiently but be patient with your coworkers. Consider the first time you finished a certain task at work. You were most likely not as efficient as you are today; your time management abilities have improved.
The project will be completed faster as you continue to delegate, and your team feels more comfortable with the duties at hand.
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Provide (and Request) 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 provide constructive feedback if a task was not performed as assigned. When a comparable assignment is issued in the future, your staff may use this feedback to make modifications. When a task is completed well, remember to offer positive comments, and express your thanks.
To verify that you’re delegating well, you should also solicit feedback from your team. Inquire with your staff about whether you gave clear instructions and whether there is anything you can do to improve your delegation in the future.
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Give credit where credit is due
After you’ve allocated responsibilities and watched them through to completion, give credit to those who completed the work.
“Recognizing that your success is due to your team is not only correct, but it also has the extra benefit of increasing engagement—making you even more successful,” says HBS Online Executive Director Patrick Mullane for Richtopia. “It may seem counterintuitive but failing to declare victory for yourself can lead to more future victories.”
The more you appreciate and credit folks you’ve delegated work to, the more likely they’ll want to assist you on future initiatives.
Delegating is a talent that must be mastered and refined through time. However, the better you get at matching the appropriate individuals to the correct duties and responsibilities, the more effective you’ll be as a manager.
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