Do You Have the Fear of Delegating Tasks?

A good leader knows how to delegate. When you delegate some of your work, you free up your time and achieve more on a daily basis.

Effective delegation also promotes productivity and good time management within a team by drawing on the existing skill set of its members and allowing them to develop new knowledge and competencies along the way. The result is a more flexible team that can share roles when the need arises.

When you are willing to delegate, you promote an atmosphere of confidence and trust. Your actions send a clear signal: as a leader, you trust your subordinates to achieve desired outcomes. As a result, they will come to think of you as a likeable and effective leader who respects their skills and needs.

Delegation isn't about barking orders and hoping that your staff falls in line. A manager's job is to get the very best from those under their supervision and, in doing so, maximize productivity and profit.

Careful delegation helps to identify and capitalize on the unique strengths and weaknesses of the team members. Delegation also boosts employees' engagement as it proves that the managers are interested in drawing on their talents.

But Why Do Leaders Fear Delegating Tasks?

Delegation boosts productivity, but not all managers are willing or able to delegate.Why? Here're some common reasons:

• They resent the idea that someone else may get the credit for a project.
• They are willing to delegate in principle but are afraid their team won't be able to handle more responsibility.
• They suspect that their staff is already overworked and feel reluctant to increase their burden.
• They suspect that it's simpler and quicker just to do a task themselves.
• They dislike the idea of letting go of tasks they enjoy doing.
• They fear that if they delegate responsibility, their manager will conclude that they can't handle their workload.

10 Ways to Delegate Tasks Effectively

There is an important distinction to be made between delegation and allocation.

When you allocate a task, you are merely instructing a subordinate to carry out a specific action. You tell them what to do, and they do it—it's that simple.

On the other hand, delegation involves transferring some of your own work to another person. They do not just receive a set of instructions. The important part is that they are placed in a role that requires that they make decisions and are held accountable for completing the task.

So what's the best way to delegate work so you can fight the fear of delegation, build an efficient team, and work faster? Here're 10 ways to follow:

1. Know When to Delegate

By understanding how much control you need to maintain over a situation, you can determine the best strategy for empowering workers. There are 7 levels of delegation that offer workers different degrees of responsibility.

Delegation occurs along a spectrum. The lowest level of delegation happens when you tell other people what to do. It offers little opportunity for employees to try new approaches. The most empowering form of delegation occurs when you are able to give up most of your control over the project to the employee.

Knowing how to delegate work helps you understand how to connect people with tasks that make the best use of their talents. When done properly, it ensures that you will get the best end result.

When you're thinking of task delegation, ask the following questions:

• Do you have to be in charge of this task, or can someone else pull it off?
• Does this require your attention to be successful?
• Will this work help an employee develop their skills?
• Do you have time to teach someone how to do this job?
• Do you expect tasks of this nature to recur in the future?

2. Identify the Best Person for the Job

You have to pass the torch to the right team member for delegation to work. Your goal is to create a situation where you, your company, and the employee have a positive experience.

Think about team members' skills, willingness to learn, and their working styles and interests. The person you delegated will be able to carry out the work more effectively if they're capable, coachable, and interested. When possible, give an employee a chance to play to their strengths.

Inexperienced workers may need more guidance than seasoned veterans. If you don't have the time to set the newer employee up for success, it's not fair to delegate to them.

You also have to consider how busy your employees are. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm someone by giving them too many responsibilities.

3. Tell and Sell to Get the Member Buy-In

After you've found the perfect person for the job, you still have to get them to take on the new responsibility. Let them know why you chose them for the job. When you show others that you support their growth, it builds a culture of trust. Employees who see delegated tasks as opportunities are more likely to be invested in the outcome.

When working with newer employees, express your willingness to provide ongoing support and feedback. For seasoned employees, take their thoughts and experiences into account.

4. Be Clear and Specific About the Work

It's critical to explain to employees why the project is necessary, what you expect of them, and when it's due. If they know what you expect, they'll be more likely to deliver.

By setting clear expectations, you help them plan how to carry out the task. Set up project milestones so that you can check progress without micromanaging. If your employee has trouble meeting a milestone, they still have time to course correct it before the final product is due.

This type of accountability is commonly used in universities. If students only know the due date and basic requirements for completing major research papers, they might put off the work until the eleventh hour. Many programs require students to meet with advisers weekly to get guidance, address structure, and work out kinks in their methods in advance of deadlines. These measures set students up to succeed while giving them the space to produce great work.

5. But Leave the Details up to Them

Nothing kills motivation and trust like micromanagement. In a survey by staffing firm Accountemps, more than two-thirds of respondents said it hurt their morale.

If you expect something to be done a certain way, outline that in the project brief. If you can’t explain exactly what you have in mind, you might be better off doing it yourself.

If you can explain what you’re looking for in writing, and your teammate says they understand, trust them to do that. Don’t be a backseat driver once the work begins.

Continue reading the rest of the tips in my step-by-step guide: How to Start Delegating Tasks Effectively

To delegate is to grant autonomy and authority to someone else, thus lightening your own workload and building a well-rounded, well-utilized team. Delegation skills might seem complicated or scary, but it gets much easier with time!