The secret behind great leadership is knowing how to delegate without micromanaging – here are three key elements of delegation to enhance the efficacy of your team
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Business News Daily
As a manager, you have many responsibilities that might be overwhelming at times, but that’s why you have a team. You don’t have to do everything on your own. To be an effective leader, it’s important to learn the art of delegation.
The three elements of delegation
Authority
This refers to the right of a manager to direct employees to perform certain tasks within the scope of their team’s purview. This means the manager has authority over the subordinate.
Prior to assigning tasks, managers need to use their authority to assess the skills of their subordinates and be aware that sometimes subordinates require training. As an authority figure, you also need to act like a leader and avoid micromanaging.
Responsibility
This is the obligation that a subordinate has to successfully complete the duties they are assigned. A management figure is passing a certain level of trust to a subordinate to complete tasks effectively.
Accountability
For successful delegation, subordinates need to be accountable for the tasks they are assigned. With or without the help of a delegation tool, subordinates should provide managers with updates on their workflow.
Managers also need to be accountable for the direction they provide; if directions are not clear, managers can’t expect subordinates to be successful.
How to delegate effectively
Utilise delegation tools
To make it easier to manage workers and keep track of deadlines without micromanaging, you can use project management software for effective delegation. A few such programs are Asana, Basecamp and Trello.
Master core delegation skills
When delegating, you need to be clear with your expectations and vision for the tasks at hand. Good, clear communication that includes explicit instructions goes a long way.
When sending delegation emails, try using a call to action in your subject line (such as ‘newsletters proofreading review needed’).
In the body of your email, lay out your expectations, including a deadline. Along with excellent communication and clear expectations, valuable delegation skills include providing support and following up.
Teach
It’s your job as an authority figure to teach your employees new skills. The more your employees know, the more they can take off your plate later.
The three types of tasks you should be delegating
Tedious tasks that don’t impact growth
Everything you and your team members do is important to the overall function of the organisation. However, supply shopping, data entry, file organisation, clerical work and other administrative tasks aren’t what drives growth for your company.
These are typically simple assignments that don’t require much experience, and while you could easily complete them yourself, you’ll save time by delegating them to your workers.
This does not always apply to more complicated, role-sensitive tasks, like hiring new talent or overseeing financial affairs.
Tasks that drain you of passion
When you were at a lower level than you are now, you likely had certain tasks that you weren’t motivated to do. Since you’ve paid your dues, you may now look to your team to take on those same assignments.
However, you don’t want your employees to feel drained either – make sure you aren’t just passing the stress to them.
“If you aren’t sure who to delegate the task to, present the task to a group of your co-workers, and openly ask who might be the best to handle it,” said Dan Westmoreland, former director of inbound marketing at Deputy.
Different workers have different interests; what’s demanding to one person might be a walk in the park to another.
Tasks that someone else can do better than you
Your staff members have their own talents, some of which can fill in your gaps, so you must be humble enough to see and admit that someone else might be a better fit for a task than you are.
Delegation can be hard for managers and business owners, but it’s essential for productivity. As a leader, doing everything on your own is difficult.
Instead, learn to lean on your team and trust them to get the job done. As a result, you’ll see that your organisation can accomplish more without bogging you down.
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