Most forms of delegation involve you instructing a team member, setting a deadline and awaiting completion of the task. Control and ultimate responsibility tend to rest with you.
There are three main reasons why you might want to delegate: to clear your workload, to develop your team members’ skills and experience, and to motivate your team by giving them a variety of work.
Delegating to clear your workload
There are only 24 hours in the day and even with the best will in the world you will not always have enough time to get through your tasks. By delegating to a member of your team, you will be able to focus on the tasks that require your unique skills and experience. Ultimately, you are still responsible for the quality and completion of all your tasks. However, you are getting someone else to do some of the legwork for you.
Imagine yourself in this scenario. You have been asked to give a client presentation and you don’t have enough free time in your diary to prepare. You know that the preparation will take you at least half a day. Also, there are several other tasks that you have started but not had a chance to finish yet, all of which need your particular knowledge and experience.
How do you tackle this scenario?
You will probably need to finish the tasks that are already under way as you are the only one in the team with the appropriate skills to do so. As for the presentation, you realise that what you are really responsible for is delivering the presentation. Does this need to include researching the source data, structuring the material and pulling together the presentation slides on PowerPoint? Probably not. So why don’t you delegate these parts of the task to one of your team members? Then, all that you would need to do would be to familiarise yourself with the presentation content and actually present the material.
Delegating to develop skills and experience
Think about the scenario from your team’s perspective. You may have a team member who has some free time in their diary and would welcome the chance to tackle a new area of work. Not only would this keep them busy but it will also increase their skills. Perhaps one of your team members has previously expressed an interest in doing some research and writing. Helping you prepare the presentation would be the ideal opportunity. You may also be aware of a team member who has attended a training course on PowerPoint but hasn’t had a chance to put their knowledge into practice in their day-to-day work. By delegating to your team, you have created an opportunity for them to increase their skills and experience.
Delegating to motivate your team
Delegation can improve motivation and commitment. The fact that you have identified a team member as having the potential to tackle new tasks will increase their motivation. They may be flattered that you have asked for their help. Putting together the PowerPoint presentation may not be the easiest thing they have ever done, but it is a chance to develop.
As your team members apply their knowledge and experience to new situations, their level of involvement at work increases. Team involvement is likely to increase motivation and commitment, as your team members are being trusted to take on new challenges and produce high-quality work. As a result, their contribution and abilities are being openly valued.
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