DELEGATING AS A MANAGER: WHY AND HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY

Delegation - it's a term often thrown around the workplace, but usually from the perspective of employees looking to ease their workload. However, what's often overlooked is the role delegation plays for managers. 

Many managers fall into the trap of trying to handle everything themselves to ensure tasks are completed to their particular standards. While this might seem like a proactive approach, it can lead to missed deadlines and important responsibilities being pushed aside.

So, why should managers delegate, and how can they do it effectively? 

WHY MANAGERS SHOULD DELEGATE

IT LIGHTENS THE WORKLOAD

Just because you’re a manager, doesn’t mean you aren’t human. Your capacity to handle tasks is limited and attempting to do everything yourself can result in burnout and decreased overall productivity… two things we don’t talk about enough when it comes to managing.

Delegation is one of the easiest ways to take some of that stress off. 

IT ALLOWS YOU TO FOCUS ON HIGHER-VALUE PROJECTS

How many times do you go into the office with a plan that immediately gets thrown out of the window because you spend 90% of the day catching up on ad-hoc tasks? 

The annoying thing about these tasks is that they have to get done, but the liberating thing about these tasks is that you don’t have to do all of them. 

So rather than putting off those more critical and strategic projects (the ones that will actually drive the company forward and support your employees long-term), just delegate.

It may feel hard at first to give some stuff up, but it’ll help you in the long run to allocate your time and energy to the things that matter most for your role. 

KEEP EMPLOYEES ENGAGED

Delegating isn’t just about lightening your load; it’s an opportunity to empower employees.

There are plenty of ways you can make employees feel valued and committed to the company, but a good place to start is showing them you trust them. Entrust them with the things that matter to you and you’ll see employees flourish in more autonomy and desire to learn. Stifle them and make them feel incapable of handling a few of your tasks, and you’ll see their confidence and ambition decrease.

HOW MANAGERS CAN DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY

KNOW YOUR TEAM'S STRENGTHS

Delegate, but don’t delegate aimlessly. Take the time to get to know your team members' strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities. 

Regular 1-1 meetings can provide valuable insights into their skills and interests, but the best way to see their abilities in action is by assigning small tasks to see how they handle them. If they handle it well, you can gradually increase their responsibilities and find what that works best for them.

DETERMINE WHAT TO DELEGATE

Not all tasks should be delegated. 

Certain things should be kept strictly for managers to do such as performance reviews or board-related projects, but there are certain things, especially day-to-day tasks, like data entry, that can be delegated to employees. 

A good rule of thumb is to delegate routine tasks that do not require the manager's unique expertise.

PROVIDE TRAINING AND SHADOWING

Of course, you want your employees to grow in autonomy where you don't have to micromanage to ensure work gets done (that will only stress you and your employees out) but if you have an in-depth understanding of how to do a certain task quickly, easy, and effectively, ensure to train your employees, let them ask you questions, and be a mentor to them as they learn to master it like you.

This way you can be confident that tasks are being done with clarity and confidence, whilst building trust and a sense of collaboration. 

- Written by Oliver Howson

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