Are you ready to cross some items off your to-do list? Jot this at the top: “Learn how to delegate.” Then keep reading, and by the end you’ll be ready to draw a line straight through it!
The Many Benefits of Delegation
Delegation does not mean pushing your work onto someone else. It doesn’t mean you’re lazy or uninvested in a project. It does mean you’re ready to empower your team, build trust with them and be better at your own time management. There are likely tasks you must do; but just as likely, there are many jobs you can entrust to others in your organization.
Delegation offers benefits to both parties.
For you:
- Eases stress
- Frees time for other needs
- Shows trust
- Boosts engagement
- Increases productivity
For them:
- Provides skill development
- Raises confidence
- Increases teamwork
- Builds leadership
- Gives a sense of achievement
In addition, delegation can boost overall morale, improve efficiency and enable innovation. Everyone can benefit from proper allocation of tasks.
How to Delegate
Figuring out when to assign projects, big or small, is the first step to delegation success. The University of Sussex outlines nine things to think about, including:
- Defining the parameters of the job
- Clearly stating the desired results
- Agreeing on timeline and metrics of progress
- Providing feedback and open communication
What to Delegate
According to the Leadership Team article on LinkedIn, the Eisenhower Matrix is an excellent way to determine which jobs to move from your plate to another’s. Very simply, it’s suggested you group and delegate tasks that are either urgent but not important, or important but not urgent.
Urgent tasks require immediate attention. Surely you can tackle it, but if there’s someone else on your team with the skill set and flexibility, it could make more sense to ask them to take it on. Too many urgent tasks can lead to elevated stress and burn-out, so spreading them around keeps everyone fresh.
Important tasks help achieve long-term goals. These projects might require thoughtful planning and end up taking a good deal of time over a long period. As a leader, you may feel this belongs squarely in your jurisdiction, or you may know a team member who excels at this type of project management. With regularly scheduled updates, you can keep up on the progress without getting mired in the details.
The aforementioned Eisenhower Matrix link is filled with tips and strategies to keep your to-do list short and sweet.
To Whom to Delegate
This can be the very crux of eventual success. Once you’ve determined that you can move a to-do off your list, figuring out who can take it on is important. Vital Learning encourages leaders to look at a few factors when deciding to whom to give a job.
- Capabilities
- Enthusiasm
- Level of attention to details
Workload should always be a consideration too. When in doubt, given a standard level of skills, you can always ask for a volunteer. Overall, it’s important to make sure no one is being underutilized or overburdened in order to get all the benefits of delegation to fall into place.
So, now… are you ready to cross “Learn to delegate” off your list? We hope so, and good luck!
