No one does things as well as we do, right?
“Delegation is a key management skill and one that is fundamental to using time as efficiently as possible and helping to develop your team,” says David James, Impellus Training Manager. “Not delegating can be demotivating for your team, will hold up work processes and will leave you feeling drained and overwhelmed.’’
“Yet many of us find it difficult to delegate. Why is that? There are a number of reasons and understanding them is the first step towards finding solutions.”
Five reasons why delegation is so difficult
- If you are a perfectionist or take great pride in doing your job really well, you may find it difficult to believe that anyone else can match your standards. Quality control is your responsibility and you don’t want to risk entrusting that to anyone else.
- You may fear that someone else could take over aspects of your role and do them even better. No one likes to feel under threat in this way.
- If delegated tasks are not done well, you may worry that the blame for this will fall on you – so it’s probably best if you carry on doing them.
- You may feel that delegating takes too much time: you’ll have done the work twice over before you can even begin to explain the ins and outs of it. If you’re very busy it can be impossible to even think about delegating in a logical way. You just put your head down and get on with things.
- You may not have the confidence to delegate even if you want to. What tasks should you delegate? How should you go about it? How much guidance should you give? What if the person resists taking on the work?
“Understanding why delegation can be so challenging is the first stage towards overcoming those barriers,” says David. “Below are some practical steps that can help you delegate more effectively and confidently.”
Five steps to successful delegation
- Start by building trust in your team and recognising their abilities. You might be surprised by the hidden skills and talents within your team; take the time to discover and nurture these abilities so you can bring out the best in everyone.
- Prioritise the growth and development of your team members. Delegating key tasks is an important part of this and will help to inspire loyalty and more effective teamworking.
- Remember to delegate in collaboration with your team members – this is important to ensure they don’t feel that extra work is just being ‘dumped’ on them. Building positive and respectful relationships with everyone in your team is key to this.
- Take the time to clearly explain what needs to be done, by when and what the outcome should be. Invite questions, be open to new ideas and make it clear you are always available to offer help and support. Don’t expect perfect results first time.
- Learn to accept that others may do tasks differently and sometimes better. Monitor what is happening but don’t interfere on the basis that things are not being done ‘your way’. Always show appreciation when delegated tasks are completed well.
You may find useful:
Delegation and Time Efficiency: This course will show you how to manage and delegate in a way that boosts productivity and increases employee engagement.
Developing Winning Teams: This course will show you how to build cohesive, motivated and productive teams, whether you’re starting from scratch, making some personnel changes or need fresh inspiration for an existing team.
Leadership Skills Development: This essential course delivers crucial leadership skills that will have an immediate positive impact on your effectiveness in the workplace. You will gain the tried and tested tools and techniques required to boost your powers of influence and motivation and become an inspirational leader.
