Delegation - Empowering Leaders, Managers, and Supervisors

In this month’s blog, I will explore the subtle skills associated with delegation – in our work, we find that delegation comes naturally to some people whilst others struggle to learn this essential skillset.??? Effective delegation is a cornerstone of successful leadership, it is an essential skill for managers, supervisors, and leaders who aim to maximise productivity, foster team growth, and focus on strategic priorities. However, delegation is more than just offloading tasks; it involves careful planning, trust-building, and follow-up. This blog will explore why delegation is so important, identify good delegation habits, and provide tips for new and aspiring leaders to master this critical skill.

Why Delegation is Essential

Delegation is more than allocating or offloading tasks; it’s about leveraging team strengths, fostering development, and enabling leaders to focus on strategic goals. Here are a few reasons why delegation is crucial:

Delegation enhances efficiency; by distributing tasks, leaders can ensure that work gets done faster and more efficiently, maximising time, energy and skills within diverse teams.

If applied appropriately, delegation helps foster employee development, providing team members with opportunities to learn new skills and take on new challenges more self-directedly.

Leaders who do not delegate run the risk of burnout thereby delegating tasks allows leaders to focus on high-priority areas and strategic planning, preventing burnout and improving overall performance.

Delegation also promotes trust and team cohesion creating a bond of trust between team members who feel valued when they are entrusted with important tasks; this boosts morale and strengthens team participation.

Good Delegation Habits

When it comes to delegation there are good and bad habits; once we develop bad habits, they can be very difficult to break so leaders need to assess their delegation habits earlier rather than later. Once you realise that delegation requires more than just divvying up the task load you are well on your way to becoming an excellent delegator – awareness is everything. Here are five of my best tips:

• Clearly explain the task and expectations ensuring that it is well-defined, always include the expected outcomes, deadlines, and any specific details. These clarifications prevent misunderstandings and enable you to set clear expectations.
• Delegate to the right person matching tasks with individual strengths, skills, and career goals. ?In doing this you ensure the task is completed efficiently and in addition you are contributing to employee development.
• Provide necessary resources and authority to ensure that the person who has the assigned task has the tools, resources, and authority needed to complete it. Consider things like access to information, support from other team members, or decision-making power.
• Set milestones and check-ins so that you can communicate regularly at pre-set milestones allowing you to monitor progress without micromanaging. This will facilitate you, the leader to stay informed and provide support as needed.
• Provide Strengths-based feedback and recognise the effort and success of the team member you delegated to. This has a knock-on effect as it will reinforce positive behaviour and promote continued growth and improvement.

Delegating to the Right People

Identifying the right person for each task is crucial. Consider the following when choosing who best to delegate to:

• It is important to match the task with team members who have the appropriate skills and Experience.? It can be useful (but not always possible) to pair less experienced employees with mentors or support people for developmental purposes.? The goal of the task or project should always be front and centre when making these choices.
• Excellent delegators connect with people’s interest and motivation; if a team member has a standout skill or a talent in a particular area try to capitalise on this by assigning tasks that they will excel at. It goes without saying that engaged employees are more likely to deliver high-quality work especially if they have a reason to ‘buy in’.
• It is important to maintain productivity and morale by balancing the workload and capacity; ensuring that the chosen team member has the capacity to take on the additional task without being overwhelmed.

Checking In, Not Checking Up

This is a big one and feeds into the leader's supervisory or management style.? Effective leaders understand the difference between checking in and checking up. Checking in involves actions like:

• Carrying out planned progress updates to discuss progress, address any challenges, and provide support.
• Using open communication to foster a psychologically safe environment where team members feel comfortable discussing issues or asking for help.
• Providing guidance as opposed to ongoing instruction; means offering advice and resources to help the team member to overcome obstacles and stay on track. Some might recognise this as a hand-up rather than a handout.

On the other hand, checking up often leads to micromanagement which can undermine trust and confidence. It is essential to strive for a balance that keeps projects on track and empowers your team members.

Don’t Take Back the Monkey

This is an interesting analogy that reminds leaders to avoid the pitfall of reclaiming delegated tasks when difficulties or challenges arise. In a situation where an employee is heavily invested in handing back the task to you consider the following responses:

• Offer guidance and encourage problem-solving; this can be very empowering especially if they find a resolution.?
• Avoid taking over but remain supportive; it is vital to develop the subtle skill of providing resources and advice without taking control.
• Reflect and learn from mistakes highlighting the learning opportunities to both you as a leader and the employee or team member. This is a great way to open a discussion on how to avoid similar issues in the future.

Tips for New and Aspiring Leaders

If you are new to a leadership role, remember that mastering delegation is a journey. Here are my tips to help you along the way:

1. Always Start Small, delegate smaller low-risk tasks and gradually increase the complexity as you and your team gain confidence.
2. Establish trust by being transparent, reliable, and supportive. Trust is the foundation of effective workplace communications and delegation.
3. Ensure that your communications are consistent, open and clear; this helps to avoid misunderstandings and set clear expectations.
4. Provide Training/Coaching/Mentoring to equip your team with the skills they need to succeed.
5. Effective delegation takes time and practice, therefore, be patient with yourself and your team as you navigate this process.

Like any other skill that you have mastered, you will become an expert delegator with time, practice and motivation. Once you develop good delegation habits using the tips outlined above you will be a confident leader who can assign tasks to a trusted team and ultimately break free from the shackles of over-stretching or micromanagement. Good delegation is great for time management, relationship building and more importantly self-care where you have more time being a supervisor/leader navigating your work life in a more fulfilling way.? ?For new and aspiring leaders NOW is the time to take action, mastering delegation is a crucial step toward effective leadership and long-term success.

For more information on our delegation workshops contact me directly at [email protected]

086 3897409