You're overwhelmed with work. How can delegation help you get it all done?

1 Why delegate?

Delegation is the process of assigning tasks or authority to someone else, usually a subordinate or a colleague. It can have many advantages, such as saving time and energy, developing skills and talents, increasing productivity and quality, and building trust and collaboration. By delegating tasks, you can focus on the most important ones while giving others the opportunity to learn from you. You can also leverage the diverse skills, knowledge, and perspectives of your team members to ensure that each task is done by the most suitable person. Moreover, delegation can help avoid burnout, errors, and missed deadlines by sharing the workload. It also demonstrates your respect and confidence in your team members, and encourages them to take ownership and responsibility for their tasks. Ultimately, delegation can foster a culture of teamwork, feedback, and support.

2 What to delegate?

When deciding what tasks to delegate, you should consider the relevance to your core role, mission, or vision; the repetition, routine, or standardization of the task; the requirement of your boss, client, or stakeholder; and the resources needed for the task. If a task is not relevant to your priorities and goals, repetitive and standardized, required by a stakeholder, or resource-intensive, then it can be delegated. However, if a task is critical, confidential, personal, requires your specific expertise or judgment, or has a significant impact on the outcome of a project, then it should be done yourself or delegated with close supervision and clear expectations.

4 How to delegate?

Delegating is not just dumping tasks on others and hoping for the best. Rather, it's a process that requires planning, communication, and follow-up. To delegate successfully, you should first define the task in detail using SMART goals to set the standards and criteria for success. Then assign the task to the most suitable person or team, discussing the reasons and benefits of delegating to them. Provide necessary resources, tools, and information to help them complete the task while avoiding micromanaging or interfering. Monitor progress with constructive feedback, recognition, and encouragement, using technological innovations such as dashboards or analytics to measure and evaluate results. Lastly, review the final product or service of the task and compare it with original goals and expectations. Acknowledge efforts and achievements of the person or team, celebrate success, identify lessons learned, and share areas for improvement.

5 What are the challenges?

Delegation is not always easy or smooth, and you may face some challenges or barriers that prevent you from delegating effectively. These can include fear of losing control, guilt for burdening others, lack of trust in yourself or the person/team, or resistance from the person/team or your boss/client/stakeholder. To overcome these, it's important to adopt a positive mindset and attitude towards delegation. You must recognize the benefits and opportunities of delegation, build and maintain trust and rapport with the person/team you delegate to, and communicate and collaborate effectively. Furthermore, you must also overcome any myths or misconceptions that hold you back, as well as resolve any conflicts or issues that arise.

6 What are the best practices?

Delegation is a skill that you can learn and improve over time. To do this effectively, it's best to start small - delegate simple, low-risk, or non-urgent tasks first - and gradually increase the complexity, difficulty, or importance of the tasks you delegate. You should also be flexible and adapt your delegation style and method to suit the needs, preferences, and capabilities of the person or team. Additionally, it's important to delegate with clarity, transparency, and consistency. Be respectful of the skills, talents, and contributions of the person or team; involve them in the process and give them autonomy and authority to make decisions. Finally, take responsibility for your delegation - don't delegate tasks that are yours to do or that you're not willing or able to do yourself. Don't blame or criticize mistakes or failures but rather use them as learning opportunities for improvement.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?