EVOLVE - The Dark Side Of Delegation
We’ve all fallen victim to thinking we are superheroes and that our never-ending to-do list is no match for our superhero skills, never-ending time on the clock and unmatched optimism for getting every job under the sun completed.
Unfortunately, that is often very much not the case, and if we adopt that mentality for too long, we will be overwhelmed, overworked, and burned out at which point we are compromising our mental and physical health and the health of our businesses.
Remember, even our favourite superheroes need a little help. Just like how Batman needs Robin or how Captain America needs Falcon. We could all use a little help sometimes, and for us to receive the help we need, we need to know how to delegate tasks and projects effectively to the team we have.
Delegating tasks to other members of your team that you can count on is an important skill to master. So, what is the main barrier?
Mindset!
It might seem faster, safer and more efficient to get a job done yourself. You may like the feeling of being in control of business activities or built in habits which have become ingrained in your daily routine such as keeping hold of work that should be delegated elsewhere. Especially when swamped with work, the temptation is do the job yourself. However, with this mindset you fall into the viscous cycle of adding more to your plate and are depriving your team of engagement heightening skills development that would serve you and them well in the long run.
Why invest the time and energy?
Effective delegation empowers your team and builds trust with one another. It can also grow personal development as others are given new tasks to accomplish. Aside from this, if you invest time delegating and build this into your weekly routine, you will be awarded the gift of time! Isn’t that something we are all searching for? This is time that can be spent working on your business rather than in your business, directly impacting business growth and longevity.
Where do we start to identify what we can delegate?
By following the next steps, you are lining yourself up for success:
Create a current Task inventory.
Identify the tasks that you can eliminate – what are you doing that you don’t need to be doing.
Identify the tasks that only you can do.
Consider automating tasks.
Decide on the tasks to delegate.
Now we have the tasks we want to delegate; how do we successfully delegate to the team?
Before we move onto how to delegate effectively, let's firstly address the elephant in the room – the dark side of delegation, handing one of our team members a poisoned chalice. These are the tasks that are overdue, difficult to complete, been left festering at the bottom of your to do list.
Rather than do the responsible thing, there are some managers or entrepreneurs that will pass these tasks on and hold the individual responsible when there is not a positive outcome. This is the dark side of delegation.
Be conscious of it and understand why you are delegating certain tasks and consider both your needs objectively and the employees needs to learn and develop in a positive way.
Do not let Ego get in the way
If you believe you can do something better and quicker than your team members, it does not mean this is the way it has to stay. Leave any elements of ego at the door and train your team to become better and quicker than you! By not letting go, you will be encouraging the cycle of high workload and low levels of team development. Embrace training, let go of tasks no matter how good you are at them, improve engagement and gain time in the long run!
Define clear expectations
Once you’ve chosen the person you’ll be delegating to, take the time to set clear expectations, especially if it’s a type of task they may not have much experience with. Ensure they know the project’s desired outcome, why this project is important to the department or organization, and when it’s due. Stress that the individual can come to you for questions, so they don’t feel like you’re leaving them entirely in the dark. No one wants to sit alone and ponder in uncertainty.
Plan ahead
Once expectations are set, help them plan how to carry out the task. Whether this looks like a step-by-step description of the project being delegated, or a checklist to complete with action items, they should feel supported but never micromanaged. You can also establish milestones they should cross off before the final assignment is due. You will want to do your best to give the individual everything they need to succeed in the completion of the delegated task.
Schedule in training time
As a way to support your colleague, schedule training time to discuss the task. This provides the person you delegated the task to with the time to get the specific training needed, while also learning more about the resources or authority required to complete the project.
As you conduct training and dive deeper into the task at hand, you may be able to point them to other people throughout the organization who they can go to with questions or additional resources. Once training is complete, they should not feel like they have been set up to complete an impossible task or that they do not have the tools to achieve the desired outcome.
What do I do to instill delegation as a core business activity?
Build delegation into your weekly timetable - Ensure time is set aside to delegate tasks appropriately and review the success and developmental needs of your team.
Provide Immediate Feedback - We all value feedback and until this has been given, we are living in the land of the unknown.
Encourage feedback from your employees - Allow a culture of open communication across the business.
Encourage questions from your team - Allow their curiosities around the task and potential improvements to come to the forefront.
Show appreciation - Everyone loves a ‘thank you’!
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