“When I delegate projects to my team, I don’t always get the results I want.”
“Isn’t it easier to just do it myself?”

Do you continually hear yourself saying this? When will NOW be the time to change so you can begin to reap the benefits you are currently losing out on because you are afraid to delegate?

Effective delegation involves giving responsibility (with or without authority) for completion of tasks to other people. This article will discuss important reasons why you should delegate, how to delegate, and what happens when you fail to let go.

Benefits of Effective Delegation

There are several reasons why delegation is a tremendous benefit to you and your team:

1. People will learn to effectively complete responsibilities that you don’t have the time to do and you are able to get a lot more done.
2. Lower priority tasks may be more cost effective for others to complete so you can concentrate on high priority items that make money for your business.
3. Believe it or not, others may have skills that are better than yours in certain areas and can complete the task in less time than you.
4. Delegation is an important way to develop your team and improve their overall morale.
5. As a manager – your goal is to be more involved in planning, strategic thinking and continuous improvement efforts and less involved in the day to day tasks of the organization.

The Art of Effective Delegation

Simple tips on how to get started delegating:

1. Analyze your tasks to decide what to delegate. Anything that is taking loads of your time and not yielding stellar results – LET IT GO! Anything that could be done by someone else given the right direction – JUST DO IT!
2. Select the right people for the job. Analyze the skill and willingness of your team to determine who to delegate to. You may find that some people will need more direction up front than others, but with your coaching they may improve their ability to carry out future delegated tasks ~ unassisted.
3. Delegate the whole enchilada. Don’t just hand out pieces of a project. People get pleasure from seeing a task to completion and the final result will likely end up being of consistent quality if completed by one person.
4. Explain why the task is important and the results expected including deadlines, progress reports, resources to use, etc.
5. Provide support and coaching as requested
6. Give recognition for a job well done so that your staff will feel confident being delegated to in the future.
7. Trust in the process you have established. Don’t be afraid of mistakes – they are learning opportunities for the future.

Why People Fail to Delegate

Despite all the benefits of delegation, many people don’t delegate for a variety of reasons including:

• Lack of time
• Fear of mistakes or not having it done your way
• Enjoyment of the task
• Fear of losing or surrendering control
• Fear of becoming dispensable
• Lack of trust in staff

However, these reasons do not outweigh the potential benefit you will receive from effective delegation. Don’t let these excuses hold you back from getting the support that you need to reduce your stress, increase your effectively and improve team morale. Just be sure to choose the right tasks to delegate, the right people to delegate to, and delegate in the right way.

Even “Super-You” needs help and support. There is no shame in asking for assistance. Push aside the pride and show respect for the talent others can bring to the table. And, remember that there is no such thing as a single-handed success: When you include and acknowledge all those in your corner, you propel yourself, your teammates and your supporters to greater heights.

                                – Author Unknown.