Seven Steps to Delegate Better So You Can Do Bigger Things
Delegation is one of the hardest skills to master. But it’s also one of the most important. When you try to do everything yourself, you risk burnout, missed opportunities, and hold your team back from growing.
The good news? Delegation isn’t about handing off tasks and hoping for the best. It’s a skill you can learn and refine. In the post below, I walk through seven steps to delegate effectively so you can set yourself and your team up for success.
Set your mindset. Imagine you are two steps ahead in your career. Maybe you’ve taken your boss’s role and you’re now managing the person who took your old role. Would you accept your own behavior (ie: not delegating or delegating poorly)if it were exhibited by the person you’re now managing? You know this is a key to your leadership—it’s time to begin.
Make it a habit. Protect time to think, plan, and do the act of delegation.
Plan. Consider a classic 2x2 matrix of “importance” and “difficulty.” Tasks that are less important and less difficult should be delegated immediately. Tasks that are less difficult but important should be delegated to team members who have a strong track record and strengths that align.
Define the desired outcome. Discuss with your team what “good” looks like when delegating a task. Remember that clarity is kindness and get clear on timeline, output format, and what feedback will look like.
Instruct and teach. For tasks that require little skill, develop documentation with straightforward instructions. For tasks that require skills that your team may not have, teach them. As with every area of delegation, it costs on the front end and pays on the back end. You can teach formally or informally, but look for ways that can leverage your teaching to a larger group than a single individual.
Phase out. Don’t hand off the activity and never look back. Check their work, provide necessary feedback, and over time phase out the level of your required involvement.
Pass it on. Why stop with yourself? If your team structure allows for it, teach your team how to delegate. Build the expectation into coaching meetings and give them the tools for success.
Delegation is building a stronger, more capable team and freeing you up to focus more strategic challenges. Follow these steps and watch how delegation transforms your team’s potential.
♥ / ϟ
