However great a leader you are, you can’t do everything by yourself. Even as a seasoned executive one common challenge is delegation. Your role has to involve skillful and effective delegation in order to maintain productive operations. Through delegation, you can make your workload more manageable. You’ll also help your team to develop new skills that will make them more reliable next time you have a task to delegate.
But delegation isn’t always easy. Some managers delegate too much of their work, leaving important tasks in the hands of someone underqualified. Others like to be in control and struggle to give tasks over to their employees. If you feel your delegation skills are in need of a little attention, take a look at these tips on how to delegate tasks efficiently:
Understand Your Team
A big factor in delegation is having full trust in your team. Get to know your team. When you understand their strengths and weaknesses you can delegate tasks in line with their abilities and in full confidence that the task will be executed to a level you’ll be happy with. You should also work to understand your own weaknesses and identify tasks that can be better completed by someone else.
Provide the Context
Give a team member an instruction without filling them in on the bigger picture, and you’re unlikely to get the results you’re looking for. When you delegate, be sure to tell your employee how this task fits into your current objectives. What is the ultimate aim and is there any useful background information you can share? When an employee understands the context of the task they’re completing, they’re more able to use initiative and creativity to meet your requirements.
Provide the Right Tools
When you delegate a task, you need to be sure that your employee has the right information. But also the right tools. Is there a particular software that would be useful? Or does your employee require a higher level of access to company documents? Provide the right tools from the beginning so tasks can be completed without unnecessary hiccups.
Delegate Responsibility
If an employee has been assigned a task but needs to refer back to you for every decision along the way, the process can take much longer and involve much more of your time than necessary. When working with trusted employees, delegate responsibility for the task as well as the task itself. Not only will this save time. It may also produce better results as your employee takes ownership of and pride in the job they’re doing.
Set Deadlines and Milestones
If letting go is difficult for you, setting deadlines and milestones for a delegated task could help to put your mind at rest. You can check in with your employee to assess progress towards each milestone and, hopefully, feel more confident that the task is being completed on time and in good fashion. Waiting to the final deadline to check whether the work is in keeping with your requirements is likely to cause you undue stress.
Show Your Appreciation
When a delegated task is completed, give praise to the employee who worked on it. Showing your appreciation with a simple thank you or a public show of recognition, is a great motivation booster for your employees. It will encourage them to be more loyal and approach the next delegated task with enthusiasm and dedication.
Delegation is an important part of management. Decide upon the tasks that only you can deal with and be prepared to delegate the rest. With efficient delegation, your workplace will become more productive and your employees better skilled.
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- Tips On How To Delegate Tasks Efficiently - September 8, 2023
