How to...delegate at work
Why do we find it so hard? And how can we do it effectively?
Delegation.
For the control freaks and micro-managers amongst us (I see you!), that’s a scary word. Loaded with risk, fraught with danger and full of things that are out of our control.
Or is it?
Instead, could we learn to see delegation as an essential way to empower your team, be more productive and crucially, show off your leadership skills?
The answer’s yes of course. But you knew that…
Welcome back to Lead with Intention where every week, I give you practical advice on how to manage your career and step up to leadership. The idea is that these are tips you can actually use in your day-to-day role, but which cumulatively, take you further along the path of career progression and into a leadership role.
I don’t know about you, but I always struggled with delegation as a manager. I am a reformed micro-manager now (honest!), but I found it really difficult at the time to let go.
Part of my problem was that I saw delegation as a binary choice. Black and white. I either delegated the task (and gave up all control) or did it myself.
But that’s not how it has to go…
Done correctly, delegation forms part of a framework of leadership, trust and collaboration that leads to better outcomes for everyone involved in the process.
And yes, you CAN delegate to more senior people!
So how do you do it?
Five essential tips for delegating effectively at work
Understand the strengths landscape: Before delegating tasks, take the time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team and your colleagues. Knowing their capabilities allows you to assign tasks that align with their skills, fostering a sense of competence and ownership and meaning they (and you!) are more likely to succeed. Think about tasks where you and others are “uniquely positioned” to be successful due to experience, expertise, qualifications, available bandwidth, stakeholder relationships etc. Then assign them according to those strengths if you can. This means that success is already a more likely conclusion and means you can relax a bit (go on, it won’t kill you…) as you delegate.