Trying to do everything yourself is one of the quickest ways to overwhelm, which leads to burnout. It would be best to recognise what you need to be doing and what you can give others to do.
Great leaders learn this skill early in their managerial lives and learn to hone these skills in all roles they undertake as it improves their growth professionally, strategic planning, organisational skills and how to nurture the development of their staff.
The art of delegation takes practice; to be great at it, you need to understand why you are delegating and how in time, as you improve at it, there are various benefits to you, your employees and your business.
Delegating correctly will improve your leadership skills, save valuable time, build trust between you and your employees, and lead to a happier and healthier working environment.
Remember, the delegating skills you learn will also benefit your personal life. Look at these five tips on how to delegate and put in place how and when you will implement this skill into your professional and personal life.
Here are five tips for delegating.
1. Always be very clear about what you expect –
If you do not do this, the work that gets done will surely not match your expectations. Be very specific. For example, if you want someone to write a letter for you, tell them you expect an introduction, a conclusion, tips to be written out in point form, saved in doc format, and so forth. You may even want to give them an example of another letter so they can see what you are talking about.
At home, if you are delegating some of the chores to your children, be sure to provide them with a checklist reminding them of everything you expect them to do. For example, if one of your children is responsible for cleaning the bathroom, list all tasks that need to be completed, such as wiping down the countertops, cleaning the sink, changing the hand towel, etc. Otherwise, with this list, something is likely to be remembered.
2. Find your hungriest employees for development-
If you plan to delegate a specific task, find who can take on this extra workload and still provide valuable and measurable results. By doing this, you feed their eagerness and explain how it enhances their development. When seen doing this, you can build a culture where others want to undertake some of your tasks to enhance their development and future career prospects.
3. Do not over-delegate –
It would be best to recognise the difference between tasks requiring your input and those not. In other words, delegate those tasks that do not require your expertise, but you do the work that requires your skills and expertise.
An example might be an Occupational Therapist working in a nursing home. The Occupational Therapist is the only one with the knowledge and expertise to prescribe the right kind of wheelchair and cushion for a resident leaning severely and at risk of long-term postural issues. Still, that Occupational Therapist doesn't need to fix the wheel locks on the wheelchair when that can be delegated to maintenance, a Rehab Assistant, or the equipment vendor from which it was purchased.
4. Continue to be involved even when you delegate –
Do not expect to hand off a task to someone and expect it to come back to you a month later precisely as you wanted it. To ensure the work gets done the way you want, check in regularly with the individual you are delegating. This will ensure that if there are any problems, you catch them early to correct them. In saying this, you also have to be careful not to micromanage everything. Otherwise, you are setting both of you up for frustration and failure.
5. Show your appreciation –
People want to feel appreciated and like they are valued for their input. Be sure to say "thank you" and show appreciation to those you delegate your tasks to.
In Conclusion, learning how to delegate effectively is good for you because:
Delegation Spreads your workload more evenly and efficiently.
Reduces your stress, minimising your risk of ever being overwhelmed or reaching burnout.
Improving relationships by building more trust with those individuals that you delegate to.
It frees up more valuable time to spend with loved ones, on more important work tasks or more time partaking in an activity you enjoy.
Tony Gordon
www.changingyourmindltd.com
tonygordon@changingyourmindltd.com
https://linktr.ee/acdg1
I am a certified wellbeing practitioner and coach, helping my clients achieve their personal and professional goals. The essence of my work is to facilitate self-growth by helping you identify the core challenges and obstacles in your life, so that you can overcome them with confidence. I specialise in creating personalised plans and providing tools to guide you forward to achieve your desired goals.
