The art of delegation

How often do you get to the end of a working day and wonder where the time went? 

Perhaps you never got to item 3 (or even item 1!!) on your to-do list. How can you solve this problem without working longer hours? The answer is very simple, but the art in the solution is where the gold is. 

The answer to free up time is to delegate more – either to existing team members, new people you recruit, or externally to outside contractors. However, if delegation were that easy, everyone would be doing it now, right? 

So, what is the art of delegation? 

We say art, because delegation is not an exact science; different approaches are needed depending on who the ‘delegate’ is. Time and effort are required to effectively pass on tasks to others. 

Often, the time the delegator needs to put in initially is greater than if they did the work themselves – that’s why so many people don’t delegate. 

The view that ‘it’s quicker for you to do it yourself’ holds you trapped and unable to be more productive and effective yourself. It also stops others from developing better ways to do things than you already know, i.e. if you teach them your way, then they can master that AND add their own value – two minds being better than one. 

Here are some essential principles to apply to help you to delegate (as opposed to abdicate!): 

Delegation 

• Assess the task, issue to the right person and support - helps build trust and respect 
• Be specific and crystal clear for greater communication 
• Request they repeat back instructions, so you know you were understood, enabling higher productivity 
• Set a time frame and request clarification that the task has been achieved, ensuring jobs are completed on time and are profitable 
• Both parties to review - opens the door for future work 

Abdication 

• Issue tasks to anyone and forget about it - shows distrust and a lack of respect 
• Giving unclear and little information results in poor communication 
• Don’t ask if you were understood - results in low productivity 
• Don’t set a time frame – it can mean jobs are delayed and over budget 
• Different expectations can result in disgruntled clients 
• No review results in no future work 

Delegation is a skill to be learned; applying these principles consistently will ensure long-term success. 

“No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit” – Andrew Carnagie 

Action list: 

• Which tasks am I currently doing that I could delegate to others? 
• What can I do with the time I free up? 
• Who are the best people for me to delegate these to? (Make sure they want to do these as part of their career development). 
• What is the best way to document what is expected and how it should be done? 
• What support and review process is needed to ensure success?