In today’s world where leaders are overwhelmed with tasks, problems, and deadlines, delegation can be used as an effective tool. It will not only ensure the timely completion of deliverables but also help the leaders prioritizes other urgent and important tasks.
Delegation can also be used as a tool to assess the performance of the next-in-line leadership in demanding situations. Delegation, therefore, is not merely an act of passing the tasks to others, but a strategic tool to empower leaders, enhance team efficiency and foster personal and professional growth.
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because they want to do it.”
Dwight Eisenhower
In this blog, we will talk about the benefits of delegation and the right way to delegate. Please read on:
Delegation Benefits
Let us start with the question of why leaders must delegate. A few of the many benefits of delegation are:
Better Productivity and Time Management
By delegating tasks, a leader can ensure that the skills of all the team members are getting utilised to the fullest and their workloads are optimised. More hands on the deck will most often result in completing the tasks on time. In other words, no more missed deadlines, reduced stress and better focus.
Team Empowerment and Motivation
When leaders delegate tasks, team members have the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and learn new skills. This conditions them to take responsibility, make decisions, work in unfamiliar territory, boosts their morale and enhances their job satisfaction.
Skill Development of Next-in-Line Leadership
Delegation is an effective tool to develop next-in-line leadership as leadership roles require strong communication, decision-making, and mentoring skills. While observing their team members perform the delegated tasks, leaders can evaluate them and share their inputs for improvement.
Steps for Delegation
Once we have decided to delegate, we may follow the below steps to ensure that we do it right:
1. Identify
The first step is to identify, what tasks can be delegated. Usually, the tasks that are less critical but urgent should only be delegated. Please refer to Picture 1 for more details.
Once the task has been identified, it is equally important to identify the right person(s) for the job. We must match their skills, expertise, capability and past performance to pick the right candidate(s).
2. Give Clear Instruction
While delegating, we must ensure that communication about the tasks to be performed is coherent and well-understood. We should also provide all the supporting information, process manuals, decision matrix, special instructions, client expectations etc. required for the job.
3. Define Milestones and Checkpoints
Various task completion milestones, checkpoints, performance evaluation criteria etc. should also be defined and agreed upon before the start of the task.
4. Monitor & Motivate
We have to keenly monitor the progress of the completion of the tasks, preferably from arm’s length. The task’s progress should be evaluated regularly and inputs must be given to the delegates to ensure that everything is on track.
If the team gets stuck or demotivated at some point in time, we should step in to motivate and assist in a course correction if needed.
5. Acknowledge and Appreciate
We must acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments of our teams from time to time. Recognition reinforces a positive delegation experience and motivates team members to excel in their roles.
Bottlenecks to Delegation
Like everything else in life, the delegation also has some concerns that deter leaders from delegation:
Fear of Loss of Control
Once a task has been delegated, the leader can get a feeling that they no longer exercise significant control over the progress and outcome of the task. Here, one has to trust his team and focus on the long-term gains.
Perfectionism
Most of us have this feeling that no one can do a better job than us. This often is the biggest hindrance to delegation. To overcome this, we have to be open to other ways to perform a task and also trust the abilities of our team members.
Communication Gap
Communication gaps lead to misunderstandings and these are highly likely in today’s age of hybrid workplaces. Establishing an effective team connection and putting the right communication tools in place can resolve this.
Conclusion
Delegation is a powerful tool that drives efficiency, helps growth, and empowers individuals and teams. Leaders can unlock a world of possibilities by mastering it by understanding its techniques, nuances and benefits.
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