According to the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, “No person will make a great business who wants to do it all themself or get all the credit.” Even the most dynamic and talented go-getters don’t get far if they are not prepared or inclined to build a team and delegate tasks, responsibilities and authority. Strong leaders armed with an advanced degree in communication management can learn how to delegate work to employees and get more done.
What Is Delegation?
Businesses and organizations encourage delegation to alleviate the workload of executives and managers who oversee departments, teams or groups. What delegation is often goes no further than a supervisor handing off the top item on their “to-do” list and moving on to the next most important issue.
For delegation to be effective, it must include all three of these elements:
- A task or project that is essential to the organization but that does not require the full attention of the assigning manager
- The shifting of responsibility for the task or project to the assignee
- The granting of sufficient authority to the assignee for them to be able to make independent decisions
Why Is It Important to Delegate Work to Employees?
Alleviating managers’ and executives’ workloads may be the most obvious reason for delegating tasks and projects, but when delegation is done properly, the benefits are plentiful. When leaders delegate, they free themselves up to be able to attend to tasks that they alone can accomplish. Delegating also provides leaders with time to analyze and identify their optimum workflow and priorities.
In addition:
- Thoughtful delegation of work to experienced employees allows the employees to strengthen their skills and provides them with growth opportunities.
- Delegation of meaningful work demonstrates confidence in workers.
- When managers have confidence in workers, the workers feel they have significance and are trusted.
- When workers feel trusted, they are more likely to stay engaged and take responsibility for their work.
Why Do Managers Find It Difficult to Delegate?
Understanding how to delegate work to employees effectively may be difficult for managers at every level. Even if the benefits seem clear, these challenges are not easily overcome:
- Preparing to delegate takes time. If steps are not taken to prepare, it may seem that simply keeping the work in the manager’s office is more efficient.
- The fear of appearing disposable is a powerful motivator to resist delegating.
- When the work is complex, the client is picky or the team’s reputation is at stake, it’s easy to take a position that no one can do the work as well as an experienced manager.
5 Tips for Delegating Work to Employees
Once managers overcome the natural obstacles and understand the benefits of delegation, it seems like it should be easy for them to take out a checklist of tasks and an employee roster and begin handing out work. Effective delegation, however, requires assigning the task, the authority and the responsibility. This is a learned skill that can be acquired with practice.
These five tips for delegating can help leaders create a culture of teamwork and lead team members to greater opportunities for success and accomplishment.
1. Prepare
Although the goal of delegating work to employees may be to provide relief for an overloaded manager, thorough preparation can lead to more successful results. To delegate successfully, managers should do the following:
- Get to know every worker, including their strengths, where they would like to grow and what motivates them as well as what might just never work. Making sure that workers’ abilities and skills match their assignments is crucial to success.
- Anticipate the skills people may need to gain to be ready for future assignments. Investing both the money and time necessary to train almost always leads to increased business and personal success.
- Complete all of the administrative, managerial or executive tasks that need to be done to guarantee a smooth project launch.
2. Communicate
Giving a colleague an assignment should never be the final word in delegating work. While workers need to know the goal and due date, information needs to be provided to them about the resources already available, the project’s development and history and who else may be involved in the project. Leaders should make it clear that communication always goes two ways and build in time for questions and clarification.
3. Guide
Delegation is not just the assignment of a task. Managers must grant workers the authority to make appropriate decisions and balance that autonomy with accountability for task completion. This doesn’t mean that managers should assume a completely hands-off position. Checking in and status reports should be a part of the project.
Managers need to offer feedback and ask questions about the progress of the project. And when confusion, misunderstandings or roadblocks do appear, managers shouldn’t just step in with a solution. Instead, they can ask workers questions that prompt thorough analysis, create pathways for learning, strengthen problem-solving skills and lead to thoughtful decisions.
4. Provide
The initial groundwork and information should not be the last of the resources provided by leaders at the outset. Projects rarely go completely as expected, and a worker should feel empowered to ask for clarification, additional equipment or access to information or other people. The extra expense of time or money should also be anticipated and built into the plan and budget. Planning for these extras will not be exact, but it will ensure that the worker has some latitude when making decisions about unforeseen issues as they arise.
5. Let Go
Perhaps the most difficult tip for managers to follow is to just let go. Leaders need to trust that careful preparation, communication, guidance and provisions will win the day and that everyone will benefit from the plans and decisions that are in place. They should accept the reality of delegating work to employees — that mistakes will be made, delays will happen and the unexpected will eventually interrupt the workflow.
No matter the challenge, leaders must remember that choosing a long-term approach to delegation will pay off as workers learn more, become more fully engaged and begin to take ownership of their work. And when they do, managers should cheer them on, keep delegating and, most importantly, give them high praise, both publicly and privately, for jobs well done.
Sharpen Your Delegation Skills
One sign of excellence in management is the ability to find the right people and then delegate well. Advertising tycoon David Ogilvy said, “Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.”
When you hone your communication skills, your delegating skills will also strengthen and grow. Whether you work in marketing, market research or strategic communications, consider a online masters in Communication Management online degree from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Invest now in learning the essential skills you need to manage and delegate effectively.
Recommended Readings
Building a Communication Plan in 2021: Take These 4 Steps
The Role of Communication in Effective Project Management
What Type of Communicator Are You?
Sources:
Asana, “How to Delegate Effectively: 10 Tips for Managers”
Fast Company, “How to Figure Out if You Have a Problem Delegating — and What to Do About It”
Forbes, “Delegation Is Key for Maximizing Results, but How to Do It Right?”
LiveNewsGoa, “Why Is Delegating Tasks Important and How to Do It Effectively?”
Slab, “The Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize Your Time on What Matters Most”