As a manager, or those seeking to grow into a managerial role, it’s a requirement that you delegate work to a strong team so you can focus on other important aspects of your role or business. It frees up your time, but also allows your team members to feel productive, grow their skills and add value to the organization.
Delegating can be challenging to some, and reminders of best practices are always helpful, so I set off to find tips in delegating effectively.
Here are some of the most helpful pieces of advice I uncovered:
- Consistent standards and clear requests. Whether male or not, the Art of Manliness blog post, “Leadership: The Importance of Knowing How to Delegate,” contained great advice. Knowing what you’re asking for ahead of time prevents you from being upset when the delivered project isn’t what you had in mind. But judging the quality of work once received should be consistent as well so your team knows what you expect. When delegating, give the team member all the information that’s needed for the work and be available (within reason) to discuss questions and challenges.
- Check in. There is a fine line between micromanaging and being supportive. Check in halfway to ensure there aren’t questions, challenges or bottlenecks, but as this article in BusinessWeek notes, trust your employee to figure things out as well. If you don’t find them competent to do the work, or they’ve destroyed your trust to meet deadlines in the past, it might be beneficial to delegate the task to someone else.
- Don’t just delegate, explain. There won’t always be time to talk through the reasoning behind a delegated task, but I often find myself more motivated to complete a task when I understand its importance. When giving instruction, be sure to include some of the rationale behind your decision to delegate the work.
I will definitely use these tips as I delegate more tasks and I’m sure I’ll learn a few more along the way. What guidance have you found helpful in delegating work to your team?