Six Steps to Effective Delegation

January 27, 2022

Delegation is an essential part of business and as a leader, it is your responsibility to delegate. By not delegating you can cause burnout, missed deadlines, and stretch yourself or others too thin. BUT…when you delegate successfully it can multiply your effectiveness, allow time to utilize your talents where they can make a difference, streamline your work, and expand your sphere of influence. Added benefits to you as the leader would be learning to communicate effectively and persuasively, learning to supervise and train, and building your team and maintaining it. The greatest part of delegating is giving MORE people on your team a stake in the outcome.

Hopefully, you agree that delegation is an essential part of your business. But just like practice…effective practice makes perfect not just practice. The same goes for delegation. You have to delegate effectively in order for delegation to be successful. You can’t just hand a pile of work to someone and say “Go”, although that would be a dream, wouldn’t it? Below are 6 steps to delegation to help you on your journey to maximizing your business.

1) Select People for the Job

- Define the work based on outcomes, products, and deliverables.
- Break out the work into tasks or steps that will help accomplish the work.
- Define a realistic completion date for each task.
- Identify the right people for each task.
- Convey enthusiasm and emphasize the importance of the project. Be positive.
- And if you can, give examples.

2) Match the Person to the Task

- If forming a team to work on a project, make sure you have a mix of talents and strengths.
- Some will work well behind the scenes, and some want the spotlight.
- Some will work well with little supervision, and some will need more guidance.
- Know your people.

3) Define Project Tasks and Communicate them Clearly

- Communicate to each team member the purpose of the project, their responsibilities, and the schedule.
- Give people checklists and outlines.
- Explain how each task is relevant to the total project.
- Make sure you are available to each team member to answer questions or provide guidance.

4) Track Progress, Give Feedback and Help People Solve Problems

- Check in periodically and ask your team about their progress so you can help ensure they are on schedule.
- Do they have the resources they need?
- Did they hit any roadblocks – are they stuck.

5) Allow for Creativity and Variations in Work Style

- Keep your focus on the final product not the details of the job.
- People work according to individual learning styles.
- When they work in their own way they feel ownership over it.
- Your team may not perform tasks exactly as you do and that is ok.

6) Provide Incentives and Show Appreciation

- Reward good work with a raise or a bonus.
- Recognition at a staff meeting or in a newsletter if you have one, write them a letter, invite them to a special event, or take them to lunch!

Hopefully, this article has given you a better understanding of the role that delegation can play in the success of your business and how delegation can prove to be beneficial for your team and business.