Mastering the Art of Delegation

For some managers, delegation is something you do when you’re going on vacation or will be away from the office on business. For others, delegation lightens your workload when you need to focus on a key priority or fast approaching deadline. But delegation is a powerful management tool that can be used for more than offloading or business continuity. Mastering the art of delegation will transform your management style and elevate your team’s performance. Used effectively, it empowers your top performers, optimizes productivity and fosters professional growth within your organization.

The first step in mastering the art of delegation is to understand its importance. Effective delegation is not about relinquishing control; it’s about strategically distributing responsibilities to maximize efficiency and leverage the strengths of your team members. Delegation allows managers to focus on higher-level tasks, such as strategic planning and problem-solving, while ensuring that routine and specialized tasks are handled competently. Delegation also provides opportunities for team members to develop new skills, gain confidence and take ownership of their work. This not only boosts their morale, but also prepares them for future leadership roles, and creates opportunities to assess their readiness for advancement.

What to Delegate?

Knowing what to delegate is the next step in mastering this skill. As a manager, it’s important to identify which tasks can and should be delegated:

• Routine tasks and tasks that are time-consuming but not necessarily strategic are often good candidates for delegation.
• Tasks that follow well-defined and documented procedures, processes or guidelines are easy to delegate.
• Tasks that require specific knowledge or expertise are almost always best to delegate.to individuals who possess those unique qualifications.
• Some tasks are done certain ways just because they always have been done that way, and no one remembers exactly why. Delegating those tasks to someone with a fresh perspective or different approach to problem-solving can lead to innovation and improved results. For example, brainstorming new marketing strategies, revamping a workflow, or improving customer feedback processes could be well suited for delegation.
• Strategic tasks that are not constrained by tight deadlines create opportunities to delegate to individuals targeted for leadership development. Think about important forward-looking projects you would take on if you only had more time, such as improving supply chain resiliency, new market analysis, or identifying emerging risks.
• Delegations that develop new management capacity are important to ensure business continuity. As a manager, I occasionally asked myself the question: who can step up and do my job if I get run over by a bus (or get promoted)? Use targeted delegations to make sure you have team members versed in business-critical functions, such as contract management, budget development and resource allocation, who can keep the lights on, if necessary
• When you need to assess a team member to see if they have the skills and disposition to be successful at a certain task or role, delegation can be used as a tool for testing and evaluation. It’s important to delegate in a way that makes it a fair test, and that the team member has the tools, resources and direction needed to be successful. Only then will you be able to see if they are up to the challenge.

Not all tasks are well suited for delegation. Tasks that are critical to the organization’s success, which require your unique expertise, or for which you are directly accountable, may need to remain under your direct control. Tasks involving sensitive information, such as employee performance reviews, disciplinary actions, or confidential business negotiations, should not be delegated, to ensure privacy and maintain trust. High-level decisions that impact the overall direction of the organization, such as setting strategic goals, making major financial decisions, or altering the company’s vision and mission, should remain with top management, although you can tap your team by delegating research tasks and soliciting input. Crisis management is difficult to delegate, unless your absence is the cause of the crisis, in which case you should already have a delegation plan in place.

Aligning and Assigning Delegated Tasks

The next challenge is aligning delegated tasks with your team members’ strengths, skills and interests. Consider each team member’s current workload, experience and career goals when assigning tasks. Also consider delegating tasks that will give your team members practical experience in new areas. For example, if you have a team member who is looking to develop leadership skills, delegating the management of a small project could be a great way to provide them with that experience.

Once you’ve decided to delegate, successful implementation requires several actions on your part:

• Clearly Define Expectations: Clearly communicating your expectations is essential. Provide detailed instructions, outline the desired outcomes, and establish deadlines. The more specific you are, the less room for misunderstandings. It’s also important to explain why you’re delegating the task, and how it fits into the bigger picture. This helps team members understand the significance of their work, and can motivate them to perform at their best.
• Provide Support and Resources: Delegation doesn’t mean abandoning your team members once the task is assigned. Make sure they have the resources, information and support they need to succeed. Be available to answer questions, provide guidance and offer feedback.
• Monitor Progress: While it’s important to trust your team, it’s also crucial to monitor progress to ensure the task stays on track. Set up regular check-ins or milestones to review progress, and address any issues that arise. Knowing what’s going on is important. Delegation can become a negative if your superiors come to think you are just off-loading work and are out of the loop.
• Coach As Necessary: When your team member encounters challenges or comes to you for help, use it as an opportunity to coach them through the problem, rather than taking over the task yourself. Micromanaging a delegation will demotivate your team members and destroy their trust in you as a manager. Trust in your team’s abilities, and give them the space to complete the task on their own.
• Give Feedback: Once the task is completed, provide constructive feedback. Acknowledge what was done well, and discuss things that could have been handled better and why. This not only helps your team member grow, but also reinforces the importance of the task and your appreciation for their efforts.

By effectively delegating tasks, managers can ensure that work is handled by those best suited for it, leading to higher-quality outcomes and more efficient use of resources. Delegation also fosters professional growth within the team, as employees gain new skills and take on greater responsibility. Ultimately, delegation enables managers to balance their workload, while driving overall team success. All good reasons to make delegation a proactive tool in your management tool kit.