The name of this blog comes from our mission at INFLUENCE: “To empower people with clarity and confidence.”
Our objective is to provide brief but meaningful topics (under 500 words) that inspire, educate and empower leaders through resources both inside and outside of INFLUENCE. This week’s edition is provided by David Salmons.
Effective leaders know that delegating tasks allows them to focus on the things that leaders can’t hand-off, such as defining departmental or organizational strategy. Many leaders also know that delegating tasks shows respect for team members, assists with employee development, enhances professional confidence, and improves team engagement.
Still, how does a leader know what and when to delegate?
The following brief advice on passing the task baton comes from business strategist, author and international speaker, Jenny Blake. In outlining her practical approach to delegation, she indicates that leaders who wish to delegate effectively should first audit to identify delegate-able tasks in the following categories:
- Tiny. These tasks take minimal time to complete, but still, they add up. These likely include administrative tasks such as screening phone calls or scheduling meetings.
- Tedious. Some call these tasks “carrot work” as they quickly become mindless. An example might be checking to see if time cards have been submitted correctly, where little skill is required.
- Time-consuming. These are larger tasks that can be broken into smaller chunks, where some pieces require your attention and others don’t. Segments which don’t require your attention can be handed off.
- Teachable. These tasks require attentive processing or perhaps the application of simple logic, but they’re certainly within the range of teachability. It may take time up front to train a delegate, but doing so will recoup many hours in return over the long haul.
- Terrible. These tasks are things at which you’re just terrible, meaning it takes you longer to complete the task than it should, and the results aren’t so great either. Delegating these tasks will increase both efficiency and practical outcomes.
- Time-sensitive. These tasks complicate your schedule because they’re time-tyrants. If these tasks are teachable, then they should be handed off to allow yourself more flexibility.
After identifying delegate-able tasks, the next step is the act of delegation itself. In essence, leaders should:
- Find a suitable candidate for each task.
- Explain why the task and it’s delegation is important.
- Provide instructions.
- Offer resources and training as needed.
- Be sure to delegate both responsibility and authority.
- Audit delegate performance with feedback.
- Be appreciative.
Concluding this overview, it’s worth noting that many leaders consider delegation to be a basic function of leadership. Meaning, to be effective, a leader needs to know what and when to delegate, as well as how to assign tasks for good results.
All of this because, when done correctly, delegation relieves a leaders’ schedule, increases team efficiency, and provides leaders with time for the kind of strategic thinking that makes good leaders great.