Effective Delegation: Empower Your Team and Free Your Time
On our leadership programs, a frequent concern raised by delegates is that they feel they are spending too much time working ‘in the business’. They are not alone.
According to McKinsey, many executives struggle with balancing operational and strategic responsibilities, often feeling overwhelmed by immediate tasks at the expense of long-term strategic planning.
Many people will tell you they are too busy to delegate—it’s simply more efficient to do it themselves, or they don’t trust others to take on the responsibility, or they don’t want to overload their direct reports. Whatever the reason, we know that when leaders delegate appropriately, they free up their time to focus on tasks that truly matter, such as strategic thinking and people development. Instead of working 'in the business,' they can now work 'on the business,' focusing on value-adding activities.
Effective delegation is not just about freeing up your time for important activities; it is also an opportunity for others to develop, learn new processes or skills, and gain experience in specific areas.
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
—Jack Welch
By following the right steps, you can confidently delegate tasks to others and create an environment in which they can succeed and achieve their objectives, while giving yourself the time to focus on what you should be doing.
What is Required for Successful Delegation?
1. Clear Expectations: The individual must know and accept what is expected of them, what needs to be achieved, and by when.
2. Defined Boundaries: They must clearly understand the boundaries within which they have the authority to act and make decisions.
3. Accessible Support: They must know who they can go to for further advice, help, direction, and support.
4. Regular Monitoring: Their progress must be regularly monitored, and they should receive feedback and recognition.
Creating the Environment for Success
Tools such as the Urgent-Important Matrix, which we explored in a previous blog, can help you identify appropriate tasks to delegate. Ensure you allow sufficient time to properly delegate the task, as direction and ongoing support may be required to help the team member successfully complete it to the required standard.
- Be Clear About Responsibilities: Specify what they are responsible for and the autonomy they have to make decisions. Avoid stepping in to solve issues unless absolutely necessary.
- Provide Context: Explain why you are delegating the task to them. By giving them the context for how it fits into their individual or overall company goals, or how it provides an opportunity to progress, learn, or develop, you will increase their motivation and commitment to achieve the objective.
- Offer Feedback: It is hugely demotivating to be set a goal without receiving feedback on progress. Providing constructive feedback and positive recognition is therefore essential for successful delegation.
By following these steps, not only will you have more time to focus on the issues that truly require your attention, but you will also build a workplace where individuals understand their objectives and responsibilities and how they fit into the overall company vision. You will cultivate an environment where people are motivated and engaged to take ownership, achieve their objectives, solve problems, make decisions, and feel empowered to take responsibility for their mistakes.
If you are interested in finding out more about how we help our delegates to improve their leadership skills in order to develop themselves, their teams and their organisations, please send us a message here. Our next effective leadership program for senior leaders (LEAD™) starts in November.
You may also be interested in our ‘Effective Delegation’ online self-paced course aimed at those in a leadership / management position who would like to develop their delegation skills in order to maximise team performance. Learn more here.
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