“If you want something done well, do it yourself. It’s a well-known expression, but it’s fundamentally wrong. We see the mistakes in other people’s work and think: well, we do! We’re the ones who can do it all! But even if you do someone else’s job brilliantly, it’s not necessarily a good thing.
You can not be equally advanced in a dozen different areas, and in a day there are only 24 hours – to do everything in time, and with good quality, is impossible. This is first of all. Secondly, if you take on endless tasks, you deprive yourself of the opportunity to rest or sick, because, without you, the efficiency of the department decreases. And you need the opposite – for your subordinates to work with you, and without you.
Learn to delegate – not just assign tasks to your subordinates, but delegate some of the work together with resources, decision-making power, and responsibility.
There are three types of delegation: classical – from manager to subordinate, parallel – between employees at the same level, and reverse – from subordinate to manager. The latter occurs if the employee lacks qualifications or authority (but he or she may also simply feel insecure and try to avoid responsibility).
What Do You Achieve By Doing This?
-You’ll motivate subordinates by showing that you trust them.
-You’ll increase employees’ skills by encouraging them to get out of their comfort zone.
-You will give subordinates an incentive to use the tools and knowledge they know to gain new experiences.
-You’ll accelerate processes.
-You’ll free up time for tasks you can’t do without.
8 Rules for Delegation
To avoid blushing for the results of colleagues and subordinates, be consistent:
1. Formulate what you want to obtain as a result. Thus you will understand how to act and who should be the executor.
2. Make a step-by-step plan for completing the task. This way you will see what resources and authority the performer will need.
3. Select the executor. This person must have the necessary competencies and skills or be able to acquire them quickly.
4. Set the task. On SMART, of course.
5. Gather feedback. Ask the performer how he sees the result of the work, how he is going to perform the task, what he needs, and whether he needs your help. This is to make sure that you see the plan and the result in the same way. If there are deviations, discuss them, tweak the plan and go.
6. Provide resources. Make sure the doer has everything they need, most importantly time. If the employee has other tasks, help them prioritize.
7. Monitor and correct. Establish control points so the result doesn’t come as an unpleasant surprise to you. Have regular briefings with the person, discuss the task, answer questions – but don’t stand over their head. Delegating is about trust.
8. Give feedback on the result. Explain to the subordinate what worked well and better, and what is worth pulling up, remember how you solved problems. Be sure to praise your subordinate.
What Is Important To Keep In Mind When Delegating?
First, be prepared that the performer will ask for your support. Doing something for the first time is very scary, and you should be a support for the newcomer at first. But later he will cope without you, and you will have time for other tasks.
Secondly, no one is immune to error, especially an inexperienced employee. Since you are responsible for the result, plan more carefully and be attentive, setting the control points.
Third, do not dump on your employee’s unpleasant or uninteresting tasks. The result will be so-so, and an employee with an uninteresting or non-developing task will achieve nothing.
And most importantly, do not be afraid: neither that the subordinate coped badly, nor that he will cope better. Mistakes can be corrected, and a strong player in your team is your trump card, your assistant, not your opponent. A leader is only as strong as his team.
Bio: Rebecca Carter works as an essay writer for an online writing company that provides essay writing services for students. She has Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and thanks to her company Rebecca can write articles about her experience. In her free time, she enjoys being in the mountains, going to the gym, horseback riding, and volunteering.