We all have too much on our plate and not enough time in the day. BUT, if you learn how to delegate your work and home life will get a lot easier.
Feeling Stressed? Overworked? Like you have a billion things to do and can’t possibly find the time?
I get it. I’ve been there.
I think anyone who has clawed their way up any corporate ladder has been there.
Anyone who is running a company, a small business, or has really worked in any industry, in any position has probably been there.
When I landed my first real job, I fell into a really dangerous habit of taking on as much as I could and saying yes to absolutely everything. While I’ll admit I did manage to impress a lot of people, as I started to take on more and more tasks and move into better and higher paying positions, I realized that I had a gigantically unmanageable list of responsibilities, much of which could potentially be done by someone else.
One morning I was on a call with one of the leaders at my company, and we were taking turns complaining about how much we had to do.
“Why don’t you just delegate that stuff?”, he asked, “It doesn’t really sound like it’s something that you need to do – get a junior to do it and just check their work.”
That afternoon I ran through my list and picked out what could be delegated.
It changed my life, and it can change yours too.
But isn’t delegation only for managers and supervisors?
You’d think so, but no. Depending on the hierarchy of your company, employees of many levels can delegate successfully.
Many consulting companies are a perfect example of this – they have various levels of Junior, Intermediate, and Senior employees, and each level often mentors/directs the level below them.
Note though, that if you are not in a management, mentorship, or senior position it is always best to discuss with decision makers before you start delegating to your colleagues.
You can’t just be like, hey Janet, you’re going to be handling all incoming payroll inquiries from now on while I work on stuff that matters more to me. If you’re not a manager, that doesn’t really work – so talk it out.
Let’s explore delegation a little more.
What is Delegation and Why Should You Do It?
When you delegate something, you are entrusting another person with a task or assigning them responsibility for something.
Typically, the person you are delegating to will be less senior than you are, but depending on the organization this is not always the case. For example, you may have assumed more of a leadership position amongst your colleagues given your seniority and experience, which may give you the ability to assign tasks to others.
So what’s the benefit?
- It will help you free up some time for other things that you might deem more important for your particular role
- It will help balance your workload
- It will give you the opportunity to focus on this that might benefit your career advancement
- If you’re in any type of mentorship role, it can also help give those less senior to you more experience and help build up their skills (so they can get where you are now!).
One more thing
Understanding and practicing delegation can also be a great resume builder. When applying for future management/supervisory roles, there’s typically some experience needed like “manages or directs employees”. Hey guess what, now you can check off that box – congratulations!
What and When Should You Delegate?
Learning what you should and should not pass off is key in effectively and successfully delegating.
DO Delegate if
- The task is small or simple
- The task is tedious or time consuming
- You have significant time constraints and there is someone available with a similar skill level who can complete it
- You’re bad at it (like if you suck at designing power point presentations – input the content and delegate the rest to your graphics or marketing team so they can work their magic)
- You are mentoring someone, and delegating can help with their professional development
DO NOT Delegate If
- The task requires your unique perspective
- The task is a key part of your role
- If the task is something that will help you progress your career
- Completing the task will help you improve or maintain a positive relationship with someone on your team
- The task is so complex it will take greater effort to explain it than it will to do it (unless this is a mentorship or growing opportunity)
How to Effectively Delegate
Now that you know what you can delegate, you need to make sure that you delegate it correctly.
1. Choose the Right Person
Who on your team will be successful at completing this task? Do they have the experience or knowledge to complete it? If not, can you provide the mentorship they need to get it done? How do they handle new tasks? How do they work under pressure? Is this the best task for their skill set?
These are the questions you need to ask when considering who you should delegate to. Connect the right person to the right task and it’s more likely it will be done correctly and on time.
2. Provide Instructions and Resources
Be clear on what you need done and provide all the information they need to be successful. It’s okay for them to ask questions, but don’t leave them feeling like you left them in the dust.
Delegation isn’t just about passing off work, it’s about trusting your team to effectively complete tasks – they can’t do that if you only give them half the information.
3. Give Enough Time
It’s important to try to give as much time as possible when delegating a task. Avoid delegating tasks that you left to the last minute – it may be setting someone up to fail because you couldn’t manage your time properly.
Of course, last minute deadlines happen sometimes (I’ve been guilty of it and have also been called in at the eleventh hour to save the day).
When this is the case, choose someone you know can work well under pressure, has the experience needed to do it, and make sure you thank them (doubly) when they knock it out of the park (cause they might be stressed – and a teensy bit pissed).
4. Provide Support
If you’ve delegated a task, make sure you are available to answer questions. This is especially true if this is a task your colleague has never done before or if it’s a bit of a reach for them in terms of professional development.
5. Check-in as Needed
When you hand off a task that doesn’t necessary mean it’s officially off your list. If it’s a particularly difficult task, check in and make sure things are getting done on schedule. Double check that the delegatee has the resources they need, ask if they have questions, and re-iterate you’re available if they need support. This is a good way to make sure things are moving, without making anyone feel like they are being micromanaged.
For simpler tasks, frequent check ins may not be necessary, but ensuring things are getting done is still a good idea, especially if a delay in the task could impact a deadline or a critical path in a project.
6. Provide Feedback
Once the task is complete, double check the work and provide feedback as needed.
Don’t forget to give recognition to the person who did the work (and say thank you!). This may seem small, but I promise a simple gesture of appreciation can go a long way.
Remember Why Delegation is Important
Relinquishing control is hard. Trusting someone to do something you know you can do is hard. Change is hard.
Effective delegation techniques will not only help alleviate your stress levels and help you focus on what’s most important, but it will help your team scale up so they can also grow in their positions just like you’ve been doing.
You don’t have to do everything yourself. Have some faith in your colleagues and it will benefit everyone, including the organization as a whole.
As leaders and as future leaders it’s important to remember that you are only as strong as your team.
If you trust and empower your team, they will feel that. They will be more engaged and will be less likely to jump ship if they feel like they are valued.
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