While many business professionals in leadership positions know the importance of delegating, many struggle with carrying it out. Some feel that they are the only ones who can correctly accomplish a task, others feel that their job could be jeopardized if someone completes their tasks more effectively and others simply just aren’t sure where to start.
If you feel this way, you aren’t alone. According to a Gallup study, 75 percent of employer entrepreneurs have limited-to-low levels of delegator talent. For your department to grow, it is necessary to delegate. And if you are hoping to continue to advance up the career ladder, you will want to train someone to eventually take over your job. Here are some helpful tips on how to start delegating more effectively.
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Know whom to ask. Avoid delegating randomly. This gives mixed results and can create frustration for you and your employees. Your employees have different strengths, and while one of them may be great at a certain task, they may not do well at another. Getting to know them will help you know whom to ask to take care of which tasks. Make sure the person you want to delegate to is responsible and reliable. Once you determine whom you can delegate to, avoid giving them too much to do at a time. Granted, some days are busier than others, but avoid the tendency to always overtask them with assignments. Just because you can delegate doesn’t mean that you always should. Instead of feeling happy they are taking on more responsibility, they will most likely come to dread and resent it. That wouldn’t be good for the future of your department.
Give it a trial run. Once you have picked out the employee that you think is right for a certain task, “test” them with a less important assignment that isn’t critical to your business or a client. It is a common mistake to give an employee too much responsibility without making sure you have made the right selection or that they can work well under more pressure. Correctly completing tasks that you delegate will also boost their confidence and help them feel better about taking on something larger.
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Make sure the task is explained clearly. Another common error is not making sure that the employee understands what is expected of them. While this takes more time than simply handing them a stack of things to take care of, it pays off in the long run. When delegating a task, spend some time going over any instructions, any special things to keep in mind, the expected results and how often they need to check in. Make sure to provide them with any materials they might need. Spending a little more time up front with them allows you to rest easy because you know they understand what they have to do, and they won’t have to come running to you every few minutes when they get stuck.
Set clear deadlines. The deadline for a delegated task should always be talked about and agreed on. That way there are no misunderstandings. Avoid phrases like “ASAP” or “urgent” because these can be interpreted differently. Maybe for you, urgent means in the next hour, but your employee interprets it as by the end of the week. When delegating several tasks at a time, it can be helpful for the employee to know the order of priority and the deadline for each task. This will help them schedule out their time more effectively to meet the deadlines.
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Have reasonable expectations. If you are delegating a task, remember that you are ultimately responsible for its success. Don’t expect that your employee will do it perfectly the first time, or that you no longer have to take an interest in the tasks you delegated. Give your employee freedom to accomplish the assignment, but still be interested. And always give it a final check.
Don’t take back the project. Taking back a delegated assignment or redoing it sends your employee the message that you don’t really trust them. While you can make yourself available for questions they might have, letting them finish the task will help them to gain confidence for future projects. They may not do a perfect job, but if they have finished it in an acceptable way, commend them. This is how future leaders are born.
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6 Ways to Delegate Effectively at Work originally appeared on usnews.com
