As a leader you probably know you should be delegating but do you actually do it? Or does a lack of trust among staff, poor communication skills or a tendency to micromanage get in the way? If so you’re not alone. Whilst delegating is an imperative skill that can determine the success of a business, many leaders and managers fail to do it effectively, if at all.
“Delegating isn’t just a management technique, it frees up your time,” the founder of Women’s Network Australia Lynette Palmen AM says. “People are hesitant to let go of tasks but you can’t grow your business unless you learn to pass some of the jobs on. Good delegation saves you time, develops your team and grooms your successors.”
- Choose the right people
The first way to become a better delegator is to make sure you have the right people on board who have the capability to learn quickly.
“Business owners, particularly in small businesses, don’t always have business plans. They don’t always systemise their business; they just do things rather than write them down,” says Palmen. “You can’t delegate unless things are systemised and of course you can’t hand it on unless you’ve trained your staff. Think about where the real value is in the business and put the best people on those tasks.”
Likewise, the director and coach of Nourish Coaching, Sally-Anne Blanshard, says that it’s important to observe who in your team you should be delegating to.
“Identify people’s skill set and their capability. Work on those that want to be stretched and challenged,” she says. “Some people only want to do their job and to delegate to them could spell disaster. You may not get back what you want, the way you want it.”
- Communicate what you need
Good communication skills are essential for effective delegation, particularly when you come across an employee who fails to listen or thinks they know it all.
“If you do delegate, you need to have good communication [skills]. It’s about selecting the right person, stating the results that you want to achieve and agreeing to deadlines,” says Palmen. “You have to remember that sometimes employees can be guilty of not listening properly. Get them to repeat [the task] back to you. The communication channels need to be open. It’s mentoring, really.”
While it’s important your employee understands what’s been asked of them, Blanshard reminds leaders that they need to listen as well.
“Be clear on how to communicate. Make sure you’re listening as well as delivering. How does the other person best take instruction? Are they a note-taker or an email confirmation person?” she says.
- Don’t be a helicopter boss
Although good, consistent communication is imperative, leaders need to avoid the temptation to micromanage their employees when they delegate a task.
“You need that instinct of when to meddle and when to leave them to do the job,” says Palmen. “Being a helicopter boss comes from poor communication.”
Recognising the tendency among leaders to give instructions and then continually ask about how the project is going, Blanshard says it’s best to agree upfront about when you can check-in with an employee as to their progress with a task.
“Agree on check-in points and let them free with the task. Do not helicopter hover!” she says. “Embrace the fact that sometimes the work will not be up to scratch and work on how you deliver this feedback and implement a strategy for success so you can continue to delegate.”
For those leaders struggling to trust their employees to do the job well, Blanshard suggests starting with small tasks, set up a regular check-in schedule, and as time progresses, increase the size of the tasks you delegate.
“This will return trust and hopefully a well-trained team member,” she says.
