As a leader, there are barely never enough hours in the day to get everything done, right? And even if you try, you’re still human, and it’s practically impossible to get all the work done alone. This is where the art of delegation comes in.
Understanding what the art of delegation entails is key to managing your workload and ensuring that your team works efficiently towards the set goals. However, delegation as an art requires a lot of practice to get it right.
In this guide, we will explore the importance of delegation, how to choose the right tasks, identify the right people to delegate to, and communicate effectively to ensure that your team knows what is expected.
We will also discuss some common pitfalls to avoid when delegating and provide you with strategies for mastering the art of delegation. So whether you are new to delegation or looking to improve your skills, this guide is for you.
What is the Art of Delegation?
The art of delegation is assigning tasks or responsibilities to other people while retaining accountability for the outcome.
Delegation is an essential skill for leaders, managers, and business owners to master because it allows them to focus on their priorities while also developing the skills and abilities of their team members.
According to Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group,
The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.
Additionally, John C. Maxwell, author and speaker on leadership, says that,
If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.
Delegation can be challenging because it requires trusting others to complete tasks and the ability to relinquish control. However, when done correctly, delegation can increase productivity, improve teamwork, and increase job satisfaction for all involved.
Furthermore, it can also free up time for leaders and managers to focus on more strategic tasks and responsibilities.
Importance of Delegation in Elevating Leadership Effectiveness
As a business leader, the art of delegation is crucial for several reasons:
1. Increases your Productivity
Mastering the art of delegation allows you to distribute tasks and responsibilities to team members best suited for the job.
As Jeffrey Immelt, former CEO of General Electric, says,
The more you delegate, the more time you have to think.
By delegating, you can focus on more strategic tasks that requires unique skills and expertise, resulting in increased productivity and efficiency.
2. Builds Trust and Empowerment
Delegating tasks to team members shows that you trust and value their abilities which allows you to build trust among your team. This further helps build a culture of empowerment and encourages team members to take ownership of their work and develop new skills.
3. Develops Leadership Skills
When you master the art of delegation and can delegate tasks effectively, you’ll have the opportunity to coach and mentor your team members. This can help them develop their leadership skills and prepare them for more significant organizational roles.
The result of developing leadership skills in your team is that your leadership effectiveness will increase.
Read also: Leadership skills every Entrepreneur needs for business success
4. Fosters Collaboration and Teamwork
Delegation encourages collaboration and teamwork among team members, leading to increased communication, shared knowledge, and a more cohesive and productive work environment.
Effective delegation can help you foster collaboration and teamwork in your business, and, in turn, boost your leadership effectiveness.
Read also: Teamwork in the Workplace: A guide to better collaboration
5. Reduces Stress and Burnout
Another reason why you should engage in the art of delegation is that it helps you share your workload thereby reducing stress and burnout.
In addition, it allows you to prioritize tasks and focus on the most critical areas of the business. This activity positively influences your leadership effectiveness on your team and business.
Read also: Outdoor Team-building Activities to foster growth in the Workplace
6. Increases Job Satisfaction and Retention
Delegation provides team members with opportunities to develop new skills, take on new challenges, and contribute to the organization’s success.
This, in turn, increases job satisfaction and employee retention, reducing turnover and recruitment costs.
Strategies for Mastering the Art of Delegation
Delegation is an art that requires practice, patience, and communication. There are strategies you can engage in to master delegation. Here are some of the strategies:
1. Start with the Right Mindset
The first step in mastering the art of delegation is to approach it with the right mindset. Many managers and leaders struggle with delegation because they believe doing things themselves is quicker and easier.
However, this approach might not be sustainable in the long run, and can lead to burnout and decreased productivity. To overcome this mindset, recognize that delegation is a critical skill for effective leadership.
When you delegate tasks to your team members, you free up time for yourself and empower them to develop new skills and take on new challenges.
2. Identify the Right Tasks to Delegate
The next step in mastering the art of delegation is to identify the tasks and responsibilities that can be delegated. Not all tasks can be delegated, and not all team members suit every task.
These tasks should be non-critical to your role, can be done by someone else, and have a clear outcome. It is also important to match the tasks to the skills and capabilities of the team member you delegate to.
Before delegating any task, factors such as complexity, skillsets, timing, importance, and development should be considered as this ensures that they can perform the task effectively and efficiently.
3. Communicate Expectations Clearly
Clear communication is the key to successful delegation, as you must communicate the task, its objectives, and the expected outcome. This includes defining the scope of the task, the deadline, and the quality standards.
Additionally, it is important to be specific about what you expect and the consequences if the task still needs to be completed to the required standard.
You should also provide any necessary resources and information to enable the person to complete the task successfully. Moreover, ensure that you are available to answer questions or provide clarifications that may arise.
4. Build Trust
You need to trust that the team member you are delegating a task to has the skills and capabilities to complete the task successfully.
In addition, know that building trust takes time and requires consistent effort and commitment. Hence, it would help if you showed that you trust your team by allowing them to take on responsibilities and providing support when needed.
Read also: How to Lead and Motivate your Team for Success
5. Provide Feedback
In mastering the art of delegation, you’ll need to learn how to provide your team with feedback. Providing feedback is an essential part of delegation because it allows you to assess the task’s progress and ensure it’s on track.
Moreover, it provides an opportunity to recognize good work and identify areas for improvement. Hence, feedback should be timely, specific, and constructive to achieve the most desired results.
6. Empower your Team
Delegation is not just about assigning tasks but also about empowering your team. This means giving them the resources, authority, and autonomy to complete the task successfully, which is crucial to mastering the art of delegation.
Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States, once said,
The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.
Moreover, empowerment encourages creativity and innovation and allows your team to own their work.
7. Monitor Progress
Monitoring progress is crucial to mastering the art of delegation as it allows you to identify issues early on and take corrective actions if necessary.
It also helps to ensure the task is completed on time and to the required standard. Hence, monitoring your team’s progress should be done regularly but not micromanaged.
8. Celebrate Your Team’s Success
Finally, it is important to celebrate your team’s success upon completion of a task as it helps build their morale and motivation.
In addition, it reinforces the importance of delegation and encourages your team to take on more responsibilities.
Pitfalls to Avoid when Delegating
Delegation is an important skill for any leader or manager; however, it’s important to be aware of potential pitfalls to avoid in the delegation process. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for when delegating:
1. Micromanagement
When you delegate tasks, it’s important to give your team members the freedom to complete them in their own way.
Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group, once said,
As a leader, it’s important to trust your team members and give them the space to work. If you micromanage, you’ll only undermine their confidence and limit their potential.
Moreover, micromanaging can make your team members feel like you don’t trust them or don’t think they’re capable of doing the job, which can be demotivating and counterproductive.
2. Lack of Clarity and Unrealistic Expectations
If you are not clear on what you want your team members to do, they may not be able to complete the task to your satisfaction. Ensure you provide clear instructions and expectations and that your team members understand what is expected of them.
Additionally, setting unrealistic expectations for your team to achieve may negatively affect the actions and productivity of your team members. Thus, these pitfalls should be avoided if you must elevate your leadership effectiveness.
Read also: Human Error: Top 10 Workplace mistakes to Avoid
3. Lack of Follow-up
Once you’ve delegated a task, following up with your team members is important to see how things are going.
As former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi puts it,
It’s not enough to delegate a task and forget about it. As a leader, you need to follow up to ensure that your team members have the support and resources they need to be successful.
If you don’t follow up, your team members may feel you don’t care about the task or their progress.
Conclusion
The art of delegation involves conscious effort and gross engagement with the different strategies for mastering delegation. As a leader, its crucial that you understand how it works and apply it effectively in your business.
Furthermore, the art of delegation captures factors and strategies that requires time to achieve. However, you can start now by building your team’s capacity and delegating activities to the right people.
By doing so, you will significantly improve the productivity of your team and increase the effectiveness of your leadership.
