What do you do if you want to enhance your leadership skills in Computer Graphics through delegation?

Enhancing leadership skills in computer graphics through effective delegation involves understanding the process of delegation, recognizing team strengths, setting clear expectations, equipping your team with the necessary resources, monitoring their progress, and encouraging a feedback loop. Recognize that delegation is not just about offloading tasks; it's about entrusting your team with responsibilities that leverage their strengths and promote growth. Effective delegation can lead to more efficient workflows and provides team members with opportunities to develop new skills. Build trust with your team by delegating meaningful tasks. This demonstrates confidence in their abilities and empowers them to take ownership of their work.

The first time I had the privilege to be the head of a project in a team, I felt awful. Slowly but surely I've begun to understand how incredible it can be to lift people up by understanding their skills then providing them with the exact environment they need in order for them to thrive. Things change when you become a leader. Instead of working on your designs, your focus shifts to the people you work with, you get a different view on each project. It's great, because once you learn to speak your team's language, understanding their way of viewing at designs and tasks in general, you get to learn a whole lot more than you've ever dreamt of learning about your own area of expertise. You become not only a 'coach", but a "student" too.

To enhance leadership skills in Computer Graphics through delegation, start by identifying team members' strengths and assigning tasks accordingly. Provide clear instructions, set expectations, and offer support when needed. Regularly review progress, offer constructive feedback, and empower team members to take ownership of their work.

In my opinion, this is the "learn the unique language of your team" - part. One of the most difficult parts, because it's not just skills and capabilities you're dealng with, it's people with thoughts, different views, and many-many ways to approach things. As we all are human factors in all these workflows, we tend to get too emotional or too logical, but it doesn't have to be either of them. It's the balance we're looking for. Balance between personal feelings, intuition and realistic approach. It's hard! But the "I know and I feel this is the right person for the job" - kind of understanding is not coming from just nothing. It's coming from experience, especially that we're talking about design tasks, that are not always logical.

Assess Competencies: Take the time to understand the unique skills and strengths of each team member. This knowledge allows you to delegate tasks that align with their abilities, thereby increasing the likelihood of success and job satisfaction. Skill-Based Delegation: Match tasks with the appropriate skill levels and interests. For instance, delegate animation rigging to someone with a strong technical understanding of skeletal structures, or creative storyboarding to those with artistic flair and strong narrative skills.

Transparent communication. Always. In all aspects. Example: The hardest things to say is "I can't do this" or "I messed up" or "I don't think I'm the right person for the job" - and so on. Right? What I've learned in almost 11-12 years is that design and even marketing are difficult enough, let's not make it more complicated by not being transparent at all times. Let's not get stuck by acting like all is ok, when it's not. I am honest. I admit if I was wrong. Doesn't matter the position I'm in, valid information is key and it must be communicated clearly. Plus, in my opinion a leader should be wrong sometimes, because managing is all about learning, it's always a two-ways channel. So my first and for most expectation is: Always be honest.

Clear Instructions: When delegating, be clear about what is expected. Define the task, the desired outcome, the deadline, and any specific standards or processes to be followed. Scope and Authority: Clearly communicate the scope of responsibility and the level of authority the team member has. Knowing what decisions they can make on their own will help them manage the task more effectively.

Tools and Information: Ensure that team members have access to the necessary tools, software, and information to perform their tasks effectively. For example, provide the latest software updates, access to cloud storage, or specialized hardware needed for high-end computer graphics work. Support and Training: If the task requires new skills, provide training or access to courses that can help the team member succeed. This could be software training, management skills courses, or time management tools.

Check-ins: Establish regular check-ins to monitor progress without micromanaging. This helps keep projects on track and allows you to address any issues as they arise. Adjustments and Support: Be ready to make adjustments if necessary and provide additional support if the team member is struggling with the task.

Two-Way Feedback: Encourage team members to provide feedback on the delegation process. This can include their thoughts on the tasks, the support they received, and how they feel about their workload and responsibilities. Reflect and Adapt: Use the feedback to refine your approach to delegation. Learning from each experience can help you become a more effective leader.

Empathetic Leadership: Approach delegation with empathy, understanding that team members might have varying levels of confidence and competence in new tasks.