Running a business or even being a manager in a business is hard work and you are probably constantly running around trying to make sure everything gets done. Constantly overworking yourself, feeling burnout, and still, the work is barely done on time!
Yet you feel as though you have nothing left to give. This is when you need to start delegating. While this may seem difficult and time-consuming, it actually saves you time and you will reap the benefits before you know it!
How to delegate tasks effectively? Delegating tasks is quite simple if you follow the process to find the right person for the task and provide proper instructions and training. Offering continuous support and staying involved through quality control is also important.
Once you have mastered the process of delegation you will find time to focus on the tasks that truly matter to you; those important projects you keep pushing aside since they are not urgent enough.
You can let go of the continuous rushing around, chasing deadlines, and finding yourself in a disorderly work environment. This goes for both work and home situations.
It is natural to want to stay in control and do everything yourself if you are in charge of a company, a group of employees, or even your home.
However, this mindset could be detrimental to your situation and once you learn to delegate tasks properly, you will realize that you have even more control over the situation.
Why is Delegation Important?
Delegating work is not a show of weakness signaling your inability to handle the work properly, but rather it is being a good leader. As a manager, one of your tasks should be delegation, and doing this right will lead to the success of your business and your team.
There are many reasons why delegation is important when working with a team. Not only will you combat decision fatigue by easing your workload but it will also benefit those you pass the tasks on to.
Delegation helps you prioritize your workload by removing the tedious tasks you shouldn’t be doing in the first place. If you are in a managerial position your tasks are bigger than scheduling and doing admin work.
It also helps to get more work done in the day if the work is spread out amongst a team, especially when you play to each person’s strengths. Giving the right work to the right person results in the work being done faster than by someone who is not as well-equipped!
Thus, sharing the tasks will also help your team grow by allowing others to grow their skills. Even with tasks that may not seem beneficial to skill development, they could help the person with time management, or organizational skills they didn’t have before.
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When Should You Delegate Tasks?
Since you know that delegation is important for the business, yourself, and your team, you can now decide when you should delegate tasks. Or rather, which tasks should be delegated. It is a type of art and science when delegating jobs.
You will need to determine various things for each duty and the final decision will need to be made by you, since you know the work and your team the best. Once you have your lists of tasks that need to be finished, start assigning tasks based on these criteria.
Is the task easy but will waste time? Determine whether the tasks can be handled by an intern or an assistant if it falls under the admin category. As a manager, scheduling appointments and booking flights should not be under your job description. Pass these on.
Larger tasks. Is the task more suited for an entire team to work on? Collaboration is essential in workplaces and creating an efficient team can have the work done in a quarter of the time it would take one person (you) to do.
Expertise. Is it a task you are not proficient in and can be completed a lot quicker by someone with the right skillset? Don’t spend a lot of time on work that you are not fully capable of! Other workers are hired to handle these jobs so you don’t have to.
Will the task be beneficial to someone else? Is there someone on your team who could grow their skillset and benefit from doing this task themself? A good manager should aim to grow their employees by teaching them new skills and allowing them to improve their existing skills.
Use this table as a template to organize your tasks and decide who should be given a specific task and why.
| Task | Description | Why delegate it? | Who to delegate it to? |
| Scheduling | Meetings, booking flights and accommodation. | Jobs that can be handled by an admin or an intern. | Receptionist, assistant, or an intern. |
| Accounting | Keeping track of financials and expenditure. | Someone with the right skills can handle this more efficiently. | An accountant, or the financial department. |
| IT support | Any computer, cellphone, or tech-related issues. | An expert can not only solve the problem but can find more efficient solutions for other issues you haven’t thought about. | An IT consultant. |
| Marketing | Rolling out of adverts, developing new ideas, designing and copywriting tasks. | This is generally a job for an entire team to handle, split jobs based on levels of expertise in that field. | Create a team consisting of a project manager, a designer, a writer, an editor, and any other experts required. |
4 Steps to Delegation
Using these 4 simple steps you can easily and effectively delegate tasks to the right person for the job.
1. Identify the best person for the job. Determine what skills are required for the job and find out who is the best candidate to carry out this job effectively.
2. Provide clear and extensive instructions. It may seem counter-intuitive, but spend some time developing proper guidelines on how the work should be done to your specific requirements.
3. Teach new skills if necessary. If the person requires more direction with the task help them by giving some advice and tips. You can also point them towards resources where they can read up and learn more about the task themselves.
4. Revise the work and request changes if needed. If the work is not done correctly or to your liking, provide constructive feedback and ask them to correct the mistakes. Taking the time to point out these corrections will help them do a better job next time.
As tempting as it may be, do not correct the problems yourself! Allowing your team to learn and grow is necessary for a more productive work environment.
These steps will help the person learn how to correctly carry out these tasks and soon you won’t need to provide detailed instructions or training. You will be able to trust it to be done correctly.
Delegating tasks is a process if you want it done correctly and if it seems like a lot of work short-term, you will see the long-term benefits when you are working less on tedious tasks and more on your priorities.
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Be a Good Leader and Let Go
Letting go of tasks can be difficult, especially if they are tasks you are so used to handling yourself and having control over. Understanding the necessity to delegate certain tasks will be your first step but there are other helpful tips when letting go.
Learn to trust your team. Allow yourself to trust that someone else can handle the task effectively, you have a team working for you and they have been chosen for a reason. If you delegate well you will help them improve and continuously do better, so you can trust them even more.
Don’t micromanage. It is hard for anyone to work under constant pressure if they are being watched the entire time. While it is necessary to give clear instructions, allow them some freedom to work how they prefer to work.
Offer support throughout the process. Without becoming overbearing you can be there for support as needed. Tell them they are welcome to speak to you if they have any questions or even ideas on how to improve the task.
Don’t think you know it all. Allow them to have their ideas and bring their skills to the table. This will grow your business or the areas you are in charge of in the business. You could be using old methods when someone else has new techniques that work a lot better.
After delegating jobs and going through the process it is still important for you to continue being a good manager. Follow through with your leadership by making sure of the following once the task is completed:
Express gratitude. Show how grateful you are for the help you have received and for the good work that has been done. A simple thank you goes a long way for employees and this small gesture will be sure to have them willing to continue helping you.
Correct any common errors. Once the task is completed have a review session where you can speak about any common errors and ask them if there were things they struggled with. Workshop these areas for next time.
Compensate the employee fairly. It is okay to hand over tasks that fall into the employee’s job description and simply thanking them would be enough. However, if you are requesting someone to work out of their title, compensate them for the extra work done.
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How to Delegate Tasks Effectively FAQ
1. What are some of the barriers to delegation?
It may be hard for you to give up a task you are used to doing or you may feel you are letting go of your power, along with distrusting your employees and worrying about the job not being done correctly. Good delegation will overcome these problems.
2. When shouldn’t you delegate a task?
You should refrain from delegating a job if it needs to be completed specifically to how you do it, when it will take longer to explain than to complete the task, and when it is something you truly enjoy doing yourself.
Remember: Delegation is Productive
Remember you are the head of a team and your main job is to look after that team. Delegation is for your benefit and the benefit of everyone else. Delegation done right will lead to a more productive and efficient team which is always good for business.
Remember to trust the capability of your team and enjoy the time it clears up for you. No more excuses for those important tasks you keep setting aside by justifying that they aren’t that important.