The trait of a good manager is their ability to delegate tasks to their team or to outsource. Knowing how to delegate is not difficult and it can make or break a manager. Many managers are reluctant to delegate because of their own insecurity. Some of the typical reasons I hear from managers that don’t delegate are:
- It is done quicker if I do it;
- They will just waste my time asking me how to do it anyway;
- I need it done right the first time; and
- We can’t afford to make mistakes.
But what many managers fail to understand is that these reasons are not about their staff but their own insecurity and this has the following detrimental effects to a business.
- Staff resent the manager because they are not allowed to perform certain tasks or tasks are taken from them;
- Productivity is adversely affected because of the bottleneck the manager is causing;
- Staff are not given the opportunity to learn and grow; and
- The manager is not being efficient in their role and may as well be a worker.
Therefore one of the keys to successful management is effective delegation and here are a few tips to help you:
- Reflection - Everyday write down what you have been doing and how long it took you to complete each task. Once you have done this, determine which tasks could have been delegated. Now how much time did you waste doing things others could have done for you? Do this refection exercise for a couple of weeks and then evaluate how much time you have recovered. You will be surprised.
- Outsource – Look at the value of each task and see how much it would cost to have someone else do it. Now how much is your time worth and are you performing tasks in the most cost effective manner? Are you better off paying another organisation to do the work for you?
- Trust – Learn to trust your staff to do a good job. Yes they may ask you questions or you may have to show them how to do it the first few times, but eventually they will be showing you a more efficient way of doing it and you have freed up your time.
- Empower – When you delegate a task to someone empower them with the authority to use the resources available. This will give the individual a sense of worth and the resources required to effectively complete the task.
- Develop – Use delegation as a means of personal development for you staff by choosing the right person for the job. Assign tasks to individuals that will stretch and develop them and not bore them. Make it a learning experience.
- Reward – Make a point to thank them for a job well done. Never criticise a bad performance but use it as an opportunity to develop the individual. Praise the positives and outline how the negatives could have been improved.
If you are a manager and you are not delegating you are probably complaining that you don’t have enough time in the day to complete your work. Put some of these tips into action and let me know how much time it frees up in your day.
