Great Time Management - Delegation
The Skill You Need but Are Afraid to Use
“You have the workforce you deserve.” Author Unknown
Too often managers are unwilling to use delegation because they’ve tried it and still have nightmares about the outcome. Other managers often fail to delegate tasks, roles, or responsibilities to their employees because they don’t believe their employees are capable of delivering the results and when they do delegate something, heaven help the poor soul who is the recipient of the bounty. What makes this powerful skill so difficult to execute for some people?
What makes delegation seem so comfortable for some and sheer terror for others? Like all skills, some people are just innately more capable at this than others. However, whether you are one of the lucky ones who seem to have easily mastered the skill of delegation or you struggle with it, everyone can learn to improve.
Here are four tips on delegation that can be used by anyone to improve their performance and improve the results they get from their teams:
- Create an Environment of Trust – In order for people to improve they must have the freedom to fail and your support when they do. You support them by ensuring your employees understand completely the scope of the task and the boundaries they should watch out for. Show them that you believe in them and trust them to do a good job by not jumping in to help them too soon.
- Develop a Learning Environment – Encourage your employees to learn on their own and on the job. Communicate the skill sets that your team needs to achieve better results. Celebrate new skills learned by giving employees an opportunity to apply them in the work place.
- Provide an Environment of Support – Focus on the results and not the methods used. None of us will follow exactly the same path to reach the end of our journey. Recognize there are many ways to skin a cat but they all get the job done as efficiently and cost effectively as the other.
- Construct a Safe Environment – Think through the project delegated, the skills and experience your team has and incorporate bridge building opportunities in the areas you suspect they will encounter trouble. Ask questions that will promote thought and problem solving before your teams encounters the critical areas. They can learn in low risk situations.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to develop the capability and capacity of your team. The better you are the more valuable you are to your company. Delegation is an effective way for you to show value to your company.
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Article by John Golden