Leadership Roundtable: How to Delegate Effectively
New leaders often find that delegating is a bigger challenge than they expected. Asking other employees to step up or take on new tasks can feel like you’re not doing your job, when delegating is actually a big part of your role. We talked to some experts for their tips on how to delegate effectively.
Gloria West is project manager at Success Labs.
I often see managers who delegate but don’t follow up to see if things got done, or if they were done correctly. Make the follow up part of the delegation of the assignment. Assign the follow up as another task in the delegation. For example, “Once you’re done, come get me and we’ll look over it together.” Or, “I want to make sure you were successful, so check in with me and let me know how it went.” Ensuring the task is complete is part of delegating. It’s not that you’re checking up on people or that you don’t trust them, you’re simply reinforcing that the task is important and you want to make sure your employee is successful.Secondly, delegation provides a perfect opportunity to provide feedback. If the person met or exceeded expectations, give positive feedback: “Thanks for completing this -- it hit the mark and was right on time.” It’s also a good time to provide coaching or constructive feedback when it’s not what you wanted, and you can let them know what they can do better next time. Let your employees know in advance that feedback is coming. “This is new for you, and I’ll be giving you feedback so you know what you did well and what you could have done differently.” People need feedback — you don’t want to give them a task and then mysteriously never allow them to do it again, leaving them wondering why.Finally, think about distributing your workload appropriately. A lot of times, we pick our right-hand person and delegate everything to them because we know they’ll get it done and get it done right. But we might overload them unfairly and not allow other people to grow and contribute. It will likely be more difficult or even frustrating to delegate to an employee who is resistant to additional work, but managers are responsible for ensuring that everyone pitches in and helps. We should say, “As part of your responsibilities, you’re expected to take on new tasks.” Don’t allow the pain of delegating to stop you from what you should do.
Jennifer Martin is a business coach and work/life balance expert.
When you need to ask someone to do something, don’t apologize. Be clear and concise. You can ask your subordinate for help, but they need to know whether your requests are negotiable or not. Set deadlines and make sure the other person is clear about where this new job or task fits into the priority list.Don't set someone else up for failure. Make sure the person you delegate to has enough information, experience, and skill or training to get the job done. And don’t micromanage. If you pass the job along, let go. Empower your staff to learn and grow. When you micromanage you are preventing others from being all they can be and holding yourself back from true success. Make sure that all your requests have a clear end date.Finally, be respectful, considerate and appreciative. Everyone likes to be acknowledged for taking on new responsibility. Say thank you, and celebrate a job well done.
Jackie Kellso is president of PointMaker Communications.
Delegation is not a favor. Framing it that way diminishes the importance of the task to the department or to the team, and it turns it into a personal agenda between you and your direct report. Always preface a delegation with "Based on the needs of the team" or "The company (or the client) requires that we … therefore, it's important for you to prepare this data for the presentation."When delegating, body language, tone of voice and facial expression count. If we cannot look the other person in the eyes, if our arms are behind our backs or crossed in front, if our demeanor is less than confident and assertive, we are likely to be ignored, or our requirement will not be taken seriously. Stand tall, with back straight, open arms and make eye contact. Think about what it looks like to be authoritative. Own it.Always be prepared to thank people for their effort, for good work and for improvement in the quality of work, if you are cultivating better habits and skills. It's also important not to take creditfor others' work. If you're the one presenting the work to another person or group, especially when you're the boss, always give credit where credit is due.
