Top Tips For Effective Delegation

Delegation is a crucial skill for any leader or manager. When done effectively, it not only enhances productivity but also empowers team members, fosters growth, and ensures that the right tasks are handled by the right people.

Here are some top tips to help you delegate more effectively:
1. When you delegate, make sure the other person is set up to succeed because they have the capacity and competence (with support, if needed) to achieve a task.

2. Make sure there is clarity about what is required, by when and to what standard. People usually don’t know all the details you have in your head.

3. Be patient. Remember that to start with it is unlikely that the person you are delegating to will carry out the task as well or as fast as you would.

4. Don’t assume how much the person wants you to keep close to the task. Have a conversation. This will prevent them from thinking you are either micro-managing or, at the other extreme, that you have abdicated your responsibility. Agree with them on the frequency and nature of check-in points.

5. Don’t underestimate what people are keen or able to take on. Usually, people are pleased to be asked, especially if you are playing to people’s strengths or stretching them.

6. Make sure the people you delegate to have the authority and resources to get the job done. And don’t just delegate all the boring jobs or those you’d rather not do.

7. Make sure you plan ahead and give people plenty of time, rather than using delegation only when you are under pressure for time yourself.

8. Make sure you don’t delegate high-risk or critical projects unless you are 100% sure the person can deliver them. It isn’t fair to put someone under that pressure.

9. When you delegate, think about who else can help, or what the interdependencies of the work might be. Might it be something to delegate to a team rather than a person?

10. Make sure you say thanks for a job well done!

And when success has been achieved, don’t forget how important it is to properly credit whoever is responsible. However you do it, it’s important you pass on the credit for success, rather than let others think you have been responsible. Nothing is more dispiriting than for a team to see its leader take the credit for something they didn’t do!

Key Points

• How well do you delegate?

• Identify areas where you can enhance your delegation strategies to better support your team and achieve your goals.

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates

Love and Light

DAO