Delegation is a key skill for any leader or manager. It can help you manage your time, stay in control of your workload and empower others. Following these top tips will help you and your team members get the most from delegation.
Identify which tasks you can delegate
When the pressure’s on, it can sometimes be tempting to avoid delegating altogether and to try to complete all your tasks yourself. But this approach could leave you stressed and short of time, and the quality of your work might even suffer. If you are unsure about which tasks to delegate, ask yourself what you would do if you were about to go on annual leave – which tasks would you need to hand over, and to whom? Of course, there may well be tasks and projects that you cannot hand over to your team members (the work might be too strategic, or even confidential), but delegating some of your other tasks will free you up to focus on this kind of work.
Match tasks to skills and strengths
When choosing who in your team to delegate to, it is important to take individuals’ skills and strengths into consideration (depending on the scale and complexity of the work, you might wish to delegate to more than one person). Team members with strong analytical skills, for example, might be in a good position to take on tasks that involve working with figures or reports. Matching tasks to your team members’ strengths will mean that individuals are well placed to complete the tasks you delegate to a high standard and with little or no supervision – this can be particularly helpful when time is in short supply.
Treat delegation as a development opportunity
Delegation can also be a great opportunity to help team members develop new skills and improve in specific performance areas. If you know a team member wants to work on their presentation skills, for example, delegating part or all of an internal or external presentation could be a great way of helping them achieve this development objective. However it is important to bear in mind that in situations such as these, team members might need some additional support and guidance from you as they complete the delegated work.
Try to delegate interesting work
The tasks you identify as being suitable for delegation might, by their very nature, be fairly straightforward or administrative. However, when appropriate, it is important to try to delegate interesting or challenging tasks or projects, as well as the routine ones. This will help to empower and motivate team members, as well as supporting their development.
Delegate whole jobs where possible
Delegating only parts of tasks can be confusing for team members, and you may find yourself spending a lot of time explaining the background and context of the task to them before they can get started. It is therefore good practice to delegate whole tasks, whenever possible. For example, if you required support in researching a range of suppliers for a particular service you need, it would be better to delegate the research project in its entirety, and not just a single aspect of it, such as sourcing quotes from shortlisted suppliers.
Brief team members
Once you have decided which tasks to delegate, and to whom, it is important to provide the relevant team member(s) with a clear brief and communication. For simple, straightforward tasks this might simply involve sending an email or having a chat at the team member’s desk. For bigger, more complex tasks, however, you may wish to hold a dedicated briefing meeting. Whichever approach you choose, it is important for you and the team member(s) to establish clear objectives for the delegated work and agree on appropriate timescales. It is also important to check with the team member(s) that they have the time and capacity to take on the delegated work.
Provide equipment and resources
To complete the work you delegate effectively, it is vital that team members have access to all the resources they might need. Have a think about what this might involve: will they need a quiet room to work in, additional IT equipment or simply access to certain information? Whatever is required, be sure to have everything in place before team members get started on the delegated work.
Get the balance right
Once the delegated work is under way, it is important for team members to feel trusted and empowered to tackle the work in their own way. Try to resist the temptation to ‘check in’ more than is necessary, or ‘supervise’ the team member, unless they appear to be struggling. Instead, let them know that you are happy to provide them with support or guidance if they need it, and invite them to come to you if they have any questions.
Review progress
For larger tasks or projects, it is a good idea to review progress with the team member(s) from time to time. Arrange a dedicated time for you to talk about how the work is progressing, and to discuss any problems or challenges. This is also a good opportunity to revisit the objectives and timescales you first agreed for the work – are these still appropriate and realistic or do they need to be revised?
Show appreciation
Be sure to encourage team members as they complete the work you delegate and thank them when they have finished. A simple email saying ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’ will be effective but if someone has gone the extra mile, you may want to consider additional forms of recognition, like a morning off, an extended lunch or even a small financial reward, if appropriate.
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