Delegation: Help Wanted Now

Successfully executed, delegation broadens employee accountability and increases the likelihood of success.

Andrew Carnegie was on to something when he said, "No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself."

All managers, at times, feel stressed and overloaded. If you work on your own, there’s a limited amount that you can do, however hard you try. After all, there are only so many hours in the day, and only one “you.” If you’re a new manager, you may even be used to working by yourself.

But continuing to soldier on alone limits your productivity and keeps you from being as effective as you can be. As a manager, you have a tremendous opportunity to create a win-win for you and your employees. It happens when you delegate.

Delegation means authorizing another person (or group of people) to act on your behalf to fulfill an organizational obligation or promise. Successfully executed, delegation broadens employee accountability and increases the likelihood of success.

Why don't managers delegate?
The most common reason is the "too-busy syndrome." Delegation does require an up-front investment of time. You’ll need to sort out these questions: is this assignment one I can delegate? And to whom should I delegate it? You'll need enough up-front time to have a delegation conversation, and time to check on the employee’s progress. "Why not just do it myself?" you might ask. Here’s the answer: by meaningfully involving other people in a given project or task, you develop your people's skills and abilities. This means that next time a similar project comes along, you can delegate the task with a high degree of confidence that it will be done well, with much less involvement from you. And your win? You buy some time to focus on strategic tasks that really cannot be delegated.

When to delegate
Let's look at the question of when to delegate. Not all tasks or projects are good candidates to hand over. Ask yourself these questions:

• Are you spending more of your time "doing the work" than prioritizing, planning or managing the work effort?

• Is there someone in your work group could do a better job than you? Can someone else be given the necessary information or expertise to complete the task?

• Does the task provide an opportunity to grow, "stretch" and develop another person’s skills?

• Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively? You’ll need the time for adequate training, for questions and answers, for opportunities to check progress, and for rework if necessary.

• Is this a task that I should delegate? Obviously, there are some tasks you should not delegate. Some critical tasks for long-term success (for example, recruiting the right people for your team) may genuinely need your attention. Don't delegate if you've let the work go until the last minute, and deadlines are looming. You need enough time to set up your employee for success. Don't delegate if it's clear that the person you have in mind lacks the capability and motivation needed for the task. Finally, it's not a good idea to just dump every unpleasant task you face on your people; that can be de-motivating.

Delegation Pays Off
Delegation can be a true win-win. At first glance, it might seem like more hassle than it's worth. However, by delegating effectively, you can expand the amount of work that you effectively deliver. Delegate appropriate "stretch" assignments, and your employees will get better at tackling and completing challenging tasks. When you arrange the workload so that you are working on the tasks that have the highest priority for you, and other people are working on meaningful and challenging assignments, you’ll increase productivity, engagement, and the volume of work delivered.

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