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For many team leaders, delegation is difficult for a few reasons, but it’s an effective way of making space on your own plate while empowering your team to perform.
Some people balk at the idea of relinquishing control. They may worry that the job won’t be completed to their high standards, or that it’s simply more efficient to do it themselves. These common misconceptions often lead to burn out when delegation isn’t utilised, or an overall decrease in productivity and quality.
Here, we look at the importance of delegating and how to do it effectively within your team.
First, what exactly is delegation? It may be helpful to understand what delegation is not. Delegation isn’t just asking a person to do something and forgetting about it until it’s done – although wouldn’t that be fantastic?! Delegation is the process of handing over authority to another person to carry out a specific task or activity. It normally happens between a manager and a subordinate, however the responsibility of the outcome of the task ultimately remains with the manager.
For example, a manager may be responsible for producing monthly client reports. If they have too much on, they may ask a member of their team to do this for them in order to free up time in their own diary.
Delegation done well has many benefits. Here a run down of just a few, alongside some helpful tips on how to effectively assign and delegate tasks.
It Saves Time
Delegation can save huge amounts of time and increase productivity. When you assign a task to someone else you free up time for other tasks and give yourself the head space to work effectively across the board.
However, this only saves time when it’s done right. Often, a manager may delegate a task and then micromanage it to the point where it would have been more effective to do it themselves. Similarly, they may not grant the person the authority to make decisions related to the task, which could slow progress and cause frustration.
Delegation works effectively when you allow access to the right resources and give team members the authority to make decisions relating to the task. This requires trust, confidence, and a clear brief. But with the right structure, delegation can save you valuable time.
When you delegate a task to a member of staff, you are demonstrating trust in their ability to do the job well. This is incredibly empowering. Of course, this is only true if you give them the authority, resources and support they need to carry it out. If the right structure isn’t in place to support with delegation, it can have a demotivating effect. Similarly, micromanaging the project (even though you’ve handed it over) can make team members doubt their ability or become frustrated.
Delegation requires trust and confidence from both the person assigning the task and the person receiving it. In order to get this channel working both ways, you can start with smaller tasks initially and then build up to larger ones that require more responsibility.
Like the motivational benefits, delegation also builds trust between team members. When a leader knows they can rely on their team members to fulfil tasks to a high standard, they’re more likely to pass work on freeing them up to channel their energies into other tasks. Delegation also builds trust between team members and their managers and gives them the confidence to make decisions and take accountability for their work.
If you are backed by a team of people that communicate effectively, take pride in their work, and trust each other, you’re more likely to see better performance and team working across the board.
If you’re looking to improve communication and trust within your team with the aim of delegating tasks, a team building day out could be just the ticket. We are constantly coming up with new ideas from Escape Rooms and Treasure Hunts to outdoor activities such as the might Dragonboat race and our ever popular, Crystal Maze event. Ideal for groups of all sizes, each activity is designed to promote better team working, paving the way for effective delegation. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us today, we’d love to hear from you!
