The Do's and Dont's Of Delegation For Business Owners

Delegation may not come naturally to many entrepreneurs, who generally built their successful businesses by doing it all.

But it is often necessary to move to the next stage of development. Here are three things to do and three things to avoid when it comes to delegating.

1. Do articulate your priorities. Your employees will need to make decisions, so let them know in advance what takes priority. Is it this task or another? Is it deadline or quality?

2. Don't micromanage. It's the cardinal sin! Remember: you're delegating because you don't want to deal with the project, so don't deal with the project. Plus, not trusting your employees can undermine their confidence. Hands off!

3. Do offer your support. While it's important to avoid micromanaging, you also do not want to throw your employees to the wolves. Thus, it's a good idea to do what you can to empower their success. For example, gather all the information needed to complete the project in one place, provide examples of comparable work and check in regularly (just not too often).

4. Don't underestimate how long the project will take. Be cautious about underestimating the length of time it will take your employees to complete a project. You could do it in a week, but can they? Always add a buffer to account for the difference in skills or unexpected roadblocks.

5. Do be sure your employees feel comfortable saying no. Your employees may not want a project any more than you do. Or maybe they want it but don't feel up to it. It's worth trying to encourage them and build up their confidence, but if that fails, find a new employee for the task.

6. Don't delegate because the project is awful. There are some projects no one likes. Do you know what else people don't like? The manager who uses delegation to avoid doing unpleasant tasks. Good leadership involves taking on the unappealing work.

So delegate those tasks that will make your company more efficient by getting those tasks to the people with the best skills to complete them.

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