Delegation: The Power of Sharing Work Successfully

If you know your employees' expertise, you can assign tasks that provide suitable opportunities for their learning and development. Whether individually or as a team, delegating to employees is shown to boost their motivation and engagement. [3]

Overall, successful delegation increases efficiency, but it also leads to better team cohesion and has the potential to establish a succession pipeline.

When to Delegate

To delegate effectively and confidently, you must be able to assess the value of your time. Determine whether you have room in your schedule to delegate appropriately and ensure that you choose the best person for the job.

You also need to judge how much time is available within your team. They may require training before taking on a task, space for questions, or even a reworking period. For example, if it’s a task that will recur in a similar form in the future, setting aside time to train a team member now could save more time overall.

Consider your workload. You’ll know from assessing your time whether it is unmanageable. Recognizing when you’re overloaded and acting on it promptly will ensure that you make the most of your situation.

What to Delegate (and What Not to)

Choosing what to delegate and what to keep hold of is an important step. Begin by identifying which tasks and activities you perform regularly. These can include routine tasks, such as checking emails and returning phone calls, and more complex activities, such as report writing or arranging meetings with new clients.

This makes it easier to identify good candidates for delegation.

It's equally important to recognize what activities not to delegate. You might want to eliminate those first. They include tasks that:

• Have unclear/undecided objectives or deadlines.
• Have stakes too high to hand over responsibility.
• Are a chance for you to learn or develop your skills.
• Rely on your unique strengths, expertise or authority level.

For instance, you probably can't delegate tasks such as recruitment, performance management or strategic goal setting.

You should now have a list of everything you can delegate to your team.

Who to Delegate Work to

Hopefully your team is competent and reliable. However, knowing who to call on for specific tasks is helpful. If a task is urgent or has a high profile, you’ll want to know you’re delegating it to someone dependable. You’ll need to measure their strengths, expertise, and interests against the following criteria:

Seniority Level

This may sound counterintuitive, but pick someone who can do well but has the lowest level of seniority in your team. Chances are their other work is relatively low priority and the delegated task should be of higher value to the team/organization.

Strengths and Skills

Where one team member excels, another may founder. It makes sense to allot tasks according to their skills. If, for example, the task involves writing reports, you might give it to someone who has good writing skills. If you’re thinking about taking a risk on someone who lacks experience, consider whether it’s worth the time it takes to train them.

Development

Think about how a task will impact a person’s development. Will it boost their confidence and sense of job satisfaction, for instance? If you know that somebody wants to progress to a specific role or to develop a particular skill, try to accommodate them.

Current Workload

Just as you must be mindful you’re not overloaded, it’s equally important not to overburden your team. Delegating should improve productivity and job satisfaction, not just add to their existing workload.

Reliability

Not everyone has the same level of reliability. Regardless of who you delegate to, ultimately, the buck stops with you. If the task is urgent or has a high profile, then make sure you assign it to a team member you trust to deliver.

To keep track of your delegated tasks, and who you have delegated them to, create a Delegation Log using our free worksheet.

How to Delegate Successfully

Now you're ready to draft your delegation plan. It should cover everything you and your team member need to know about the task.

1. Define the Task

Clearly explain the task’s purpose, why it needs to be done, and the completion date. Articulate the desired outcome and results. This will give your team member purpose and help them make better decisions.

2. Establish Objectives and Milestones

Set specific and measurable goals and timeframes where possible. For example, if you want someone to take over the handling of customer complaints or feedback, set them the specific goal of replying to messages within a certain timeframe.

This sets clear expectations for your team member, and helps you track their progress. If the task has several milestones, set these out in detail, with appropriate deadlines.

3. Agree Responsibilities and Authority

Remember that you are ultimately accountable for the task. But your team member should take responsibility for their work. As part of this, consider how much authority they have for making decisions:

• Will they report directly to you?
• Do they have a set budget?
• Can they authorize incidental expenses?
• Can they assign work to others?

4. Schedule Follow Ups

Although reminders of upcoming checkpoints are practical, refrain from micromanaging. Successful delegation involves letting go and trusting your team to take ownership of the tasks you give them.

Also, try to avoid “upward delegation.” Encourage them to come to you for possible solutions, but don’t allow responsibility for the task to shift back to you. Instead, think about how to ensure the work is done well and on time. Set out clear instructions about the reporting process, including:

• How often they should update you on their progress.
• How you want them to report back to you, (for example, a written summary of what they’ve done, a verbal summary or checklist).
• Whether you want to know before they take a specific action.
• Whether you need to assign checkpoints for milestones or points of progress.
• Whether you need advance notice from them for any required resources.

5. Provide Adequate Support and Resources

People will struggle without the support and resources they need for their task. Take into account any potential collaborations. If they need additional training or special equipment, state how you’ll provide it. Hand over any work you’ve already done and make sure you or someone else is available for guidance.

Ensure a Successful Handover

How you delegate a task is an integral part of the process. A friendly approach will likely be met with more enthusiasm than a curt demand. When you reach out to your team, explain why you need their help and talk them through the delegation plan. Ask for suggestions on how they might do the task even better and amend the plan if necessary.

While you might have genuine confidence in someone’s capabilities, they might not feel the same. Sit down with them one-on-one and ask them to list situations where they lack confidence. Work out what knowledge or skills would assist them in these situations. Think about how you could use delegation to build their knowledge or skills in these areas.

Many people gain satisfaction from completing tasks successfully. When your team members hit their objectives or milestones, offer praise.

Handing Back/Acceptance

Once you’ve handed the task over, establish criteria for completion. Clarity is key for giving direction and purpose. When delegated work is delivered back to you, set aside adequate time to review it thoroughly.

Keep in mind that if you accept work you aren't satisfied with, your team members won't learn how to do the job properly. You’ll also be adding back to your workload.

Ensure you provide them with feedback. When good work is returned to you, recognize and reward the effort. It will boost your team member's self-confidence and efficiency when they tackle the next delegated task. It also increases the likelihood that they’ll seek feedback in future. [4]

Let's Act

Start improving your delegation skills today by identifying one task that you can assign to a team member. Choose a task that aligns with their strengths. Trust them to take ownership while you focus on higher-priority work. Be sure to:

• Define the task.
• Establish objectives and milestones.
• Set responsibilities and authority.
• Decide on reporting and following up.
• Consider necessary support and resources.

Download Delegation Log Worksheet