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Delegation is one of the biggest challenges that leaders face.  It means letting go and depending on and entrusting others to get work done efficiently, correctly and timely.  However, delegation is a necessity to ensure productivity, morale and business livelihood.

Just how much can delegating impact a business?  In one study, over 50 percent of business owners think that they can grow their businesses by 20 percent by delegating just 10 percent of work. (1)   However, the key is the ability to lead—and delegate effectively.

The pitfalls of delegation often co-exist with leadership styles:

  • Micromanagers insist on overseeing and approving every detail of assignments. For these managers, delegation will be a challenge because they are reluctant to trust workers to the tasks.
  • Absent managers will easily delegate (as they do so already), but when workers need help, input, or more information, they will not be available.
  • Overwhelmed managers will delegate out of necessity as they don’t have time to do the work themselves. These managers will be too busy to provide workers with enough information, which impedes the work’s quality and timeliness.

The sweet spot of delegation is somewhere in-between these three leadership styles. Being a good delegator is not an inherent trait. It is a learned skill. Delegating well is much like playing a sport. The more time and effort managers dedicate to learning and improving this skill, the better they will become at it.   Additionally, the better at delegation managers become, this generally improves communication, morale, productivity and enhances leadership traits.

Part of succeeding at delegation involves managers becoming familiar with their workload and which employees are in the best position to take on tasks. The other part hinges on keeping up with the different work styles, strengths and weaknesses of their reports.

These tips will help managers perfect their delegating skills.

Exercise Self-Awareness

Good work starts with those in management positions. With great power comes great responsibility. When managers consistently take a good, hard look at their strengths, weaknesses and performance, they can excel at delegation.

Self-awareness allows leaders to understand the impact they make on their team member’s reality. It takes a few small steps to understand the effect of the tasks they delegate. And when they comprehend this impact, managers are in the perfect position to assign and manage this work.  One key element of exercising self-awareness is requesting feedback from employees – whether via formal surveys or one-on-one verbal conversations with them.

Become Familiar with Work Styles

Overseeing a team means dealing with different work styles, strengths, weaknesses, personalities and opinions. Yes, the work itself is the top priority. But to get the best quality results, managers must figure out how to support these differences.

Why? When managers obtain this information, they gain insight into how to get the employees’ best performance. This insight also helps them choose which tasks to assign which employees.

PRO TIP –
Don’t just be an observer when delegating.  Learn to ask workers what they enjoy doing the most and what other workers indicate they do the best.  Often, leaders may not be fully aware of hidden insights unless they ask questions and are willing to hear the feedback.

Provide Clear Instructions

This tip may seem obvious, but it gets overlooked far too often. It is easy, especially for managers saddled with a heavy workload and little time, to forgo clear instructions.

Doing so may seem like it will save them time when this shortcut usually costs managers time. When employees do not have clarity about the outcome their manager wants or the details involved, they will react in one of two ways:

  • Attempt to complete the project by filling in the blanks themselves
  • Constantly ask their manager questions until they finish the assignment

The first scenario often results in shoddy, inaccurate or incomplete work that does not achieve the desired objective. The second scenario robs their manager of the time they attempted to save.

Give Reasons Why

Along with sharing the ‘hows,’ it is critical for managers to share why each task needs completion. Giving the workers the reasons for the tasks also needs to include the business’s goals. Psychologically, understanding these points about the assignment provides the worker a framework for their work. By giving the vision of the task, the manager helps the worker fully comprehend the importance of their role.  In the long run, workers will then better understand their value to the company, which breeds better morale.

Managers should touch on the following when discussing the whys:

  • Desired outcome
  • Accountability of the employee
  • Deadlines
  • Milestones
  • Touchpoints throughout

While healthy delegation is not always evident, it can be achieved. Doing so requires a bit of additional time and effort from managers – an investment that will generate successful results.

Uncertain times call for creative thinking. Contact Gavel International to be inspired with solutions that connect and engage your people.
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SOURCES:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-m90oOwZdM

 

Jeff Richards
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