Delegation: you either do it well, think you do it well, or have a dozen excuses for not doing it!
London business school professor John Hunt notes that only 30 percent of managers think they can delegate well, and of those, only one in three is considered a good delegator by his or her subordinates. This means only about one manager in ten really knows how to empower others. [Source: Forbes]
If you don’t delegate, ask yourself why not.
- “Everyone is already too busy”
- “I don’t trust that they would do it right.”
- “It’s quicker if I just do it myself.”
There may be a few reasons that keep you resistant to delegating. All are completely understandable AND change-able!
Delegating properly frees you up for doing more of the right work you should be doing; it allows the right direct reports to step up and do work that will prepare them to act in your role when you’re on leave (with confidence for them and you); helps clarify what is the right work so that everyone is being more productive.
Here are five tips to help you delegate properly:
1. Delegate to someone who is ready for the extra challenge.
2. Ensure enough resources are in place so that the delegation isn’t doomed to fail.
3. Let all the relevant people know who to and what you have delegated. Avoid being the work bottleneck because you haven’t communicated who people can go to to ask questions.
4. Hands-off and step back! Allow the person to do the job. It’s not delegation if you’re still directing every step of the way. Also, don’t disappear: work with the person to find the right balance of support.
5. Delegation includes giving authority over the task, let go and let them success. When they succeed, you succeed.
Your team’s success,
Is your success!
What stops you from delegating?
