Delegation is an important skill, but one that does not always come easily to every manager. Some may feel concerned they are overloading their team members with additional work, while others may feel anxious about putting the success of their work in a team member’s hands. If one of your managers is new to delegation, they may require some guidance from you in the first instance. Following these top tips will help you to provide your managers with the appropriate degree of support, while giving them the independence and autonomy to develop their own delegation style.
Set a good example
As a leader, it is important to set a good example to your managers by delegating your own work effectively. This will demonstrate the best practice principles of delegation to your managers, and will encourage them to adopt these principles when they come to delegate work to their own team members. Even frequent delegators will find it helpful to revisit the key points of effective delegation from time to time. These are summarised in the document ‘How to Delegate’, which can also be found in the Delegation and Empowerment topic of this toolkit.
Keep delegation on your radar
In your day-to-day interactions with managers and their team members, it is a good idea to observe how widely and effectively work is being delegated. Although it may not always be possible to witness this directly, it is important to look out for clues. For example, managers might appear stressed or anxious about their workload, or worried that they don’t have enough time to deliver everything they need to. You might also notice team members saying they would like to have more opportunities to get involved with project work or take on extra responsibilities.
If you are unsure how delegation is being used by your managers you may even wish to send out a questionnaire to team members, or add some questions about delegated work to your next employee engagement survey, if you have one.
If you notice that a manager is not delegating as regularly, or as effectively as they might, be sure to bring this up in your next one-to-one meeting with them. Share your observations and ask the manager how they feel about delegating tasks to their team members. Remind them that delegation can provide team members with valuable development opportunities, as well as allowing managers to concentrate on the critical aspects of their workload.
Encourage appropriate use
It is important to help managers understand that it is not always appropriate to delegate in every situation; delegation should not be seen simply as a time-saving solution or a means of avoiding routine or administrative work. Each situation should be considered on its merits, and managers should be able to identify when it is and is not appropriate to delegate. Undertaking the interactive self-assessment ‘Selecting an Approach to Delegation’ will help them to do this.
Link delegation to performance
Discussing delegation as part of your performance review discussions with your managers (if you do not do so already) will help to ensure that it is taken seriously as a core management competency. For managers new to delegating, it is a good idea to help them set some stretching but achievable goals for themselves relating to delegation. You may also wish to link these goals to the manager’s performance objectives, if you use these in your organisation. Depending on the manager’s development needs, appropriate goals might include delegating a certain number of pieces of work (when it is appropriate to do so), or delegating a part of the next project they are working on.
Discuss problems with delegation
If you learn that one of your managers is finding delegation particularly difficult, it is important to encourage them to consider why this might be. Ask them open questions, such as ‘What do you find particularly challenging about delegation?’, ‘How do you think these problems can be overcome?’, and ‘What would make you feel more comfortable about delegating work?’. It may transpire that they are nervous about delegating because they are unsure about how to brief their team members, or review their progress, for example. Once you have identified the source of the problem, you will be in a better position to help them identify the most appropriate solutions.
Provide support and guidance
There are a number of ways in which you can support and help managers to delegate. You may have experiences of your own that you can draw on, for example If coaching or mentoring is available in your organisation, you could also suggest that they cover delegation in their sessions. Finally, you may wish to liaise with your HR or L&D department (if you have one) to find out if internal training could be delivered on delegation, perhaps as part of a wider management development initiative.
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