The Simple Art of Delegation
As an employee or in the early stages of our your career you would have been acknowledged or rewarded for operating independently and diligently. As a result, you have felt at ease being in full control of your work. When we move into positions of leadership, managing others, one of the hardest challenges is relinquishing that control. Trust is a tricky thing. Trusting someone with a task that you take responsibility is confronting as it is your reputation that is on the line. Ideally we need to identify that this is process of shared ownership.
It’s not all about you
Delegation isn’t selfish – it’s good leadership practice
Delegation isn’t about ordering people around to make your life easier – so learn to let go! Effective delegation will build staff morale and improve productivity. By delegating to your team, you create opportnity for learning and professional development. The more your team improve and share their skill set, the stronger the team becomes. If you hover around, your team will either feel undervalued
Keep your finger on the pulse…
…but don’t micro-manage.
The right balance will allow you to keep abreast of what your team are doing, to guide and support without micromanaging. When things go wrong, you will ideally be seeing the error in early stages, rather than when the issues has built momentum to a major problem. A strong leader will not pass blame, but allow the team the opportunity to learn and to rectify, reducing risk in the future.
Good Leadership is about Good Skills Distribution
Round Pegs in Round Holes
Strong leadership involves matching the right task with the right skillset. A keen observer will identify the strengths and weaknesses lie within the team to effectively delegate areas of work. Listening, observing, asking questions will allow a leader to build a repository of information to effectively delegate.
Delegation is About Clear Expectations
Set the Parameters
Part of effective delegation is about setting clear expectations. Be clear about the standards, timeframe and milestones for a project or task. It’s imperative that the person you appoint is clear on the on what is required, has the resources they need and feel secure to ask questions if in doubt.
Delegation is about Psycholgical Safety
Empower your team
It’s important that your team feel safe an comfortable to communicate issues rather than hide them. Be open and supportive of mistakes, allow your team to come up with solutions. If they fear your reprimand, they will try to self manage or hide issues which could fester into problems for you later on. It’s better to create an open honest environment to enable learning, growth and development.
Do This for Effective Delegation
- Get to know your team’s strengths & weaknesses
- Create opportunity for regular feedback
- Provide clear instruction and deadlines
- Be open to mistakes
- Take responsibility for the team
Don’t Do This if You Want to Be Effective at Delegation
- Micromanage
- delegate tasks that you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself.
- Don’t punish or blame for mistakes
Unlock Your Team’s Potential with Effective Delegation!
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About the Author
Barbara Clifford (The Time Tamer) is a co-founder of The Hinwood Institute. She is the lead trainer and coach in Time Management. She is a recognized leader in Stress Management. An experienced coach, speaker, columnist and facilitator, Barbara’s work with The Hinwood Institute assists people to unclutter mess, make order from chaos, and swap the shackles of overwhelming for freedom. Barbara’s clients move from the relentless hamster wheel to waking inspired, motivated, making decisions with purpose and achieving peak performance. She lives in the desert of Alice Springs, Australia working with people around the country.
Her professional experience has included contracts with small business, Not For Profits, Aboriginal Organisations, Media, Marketing, Aged Care, Universities, Health Services and Cruise Ships