Delegating tasks is a necessity that sooner or later every entrepreneur or manager has to face. Without it, it is impossible for the company and the team to function.
Unfortunately, the bosses’ belief that everything is better done by themselves often prevents them from distributing work among subordinates, and when they are finally forced to involve the team, they do it wrong. That’s why in this article we’ll talk about how to effectively delegate tasks to employees.
The person you choose must, first of all, be able to do the task (or learn how to do it) and have the right authority. It’s also important that the employee has the time to do it – don’t bet on someone who can’t manage their own tasks or has enough responsibilities on their plate. There may be a promising volunteer on your team who would be happy to take on the extra responsibility.
If you don’t have a lot of time, bet on an employee who has already proven himself in the area and has experience. However, if you can afford it, choose someone new to the topic and train him or her to carry out this particular task.
Employees may not know exactly what you want and what results you expect, so try to explain clearly and specifically what the task is. A little time and effort put into explaining your expectations will help the cause significantly. When delegating part of the work, you must:
Also, remember to leave time and space for any questions the employee may have and additional clarification.
If you know that a task will take a certain amount of time to complete, don’t expect someone else to complete it much faster, especially if you are delegating the task to someone with less experience. Remember that giving someone too much or too little time to complete a task can spoil the outcome.
It’s the same with tools – if you expect an employee to perform properly, make sure they have the necessary tools and materials to do so. Especially if they are effective and proven.
As soon as the task is completed, make any comments to your team, praise the items that were done well, and above all, thank them for completing the work. Also, take time to discuss the task with your employees – ask if they enjoyed the experience and what areas they would like to grow in. In this way, you not only improve your subordinates’ skills, but also inspire them to take a more active approach to professional development.
Subordinates often complain that they don’t feel trusted by the supervisor who entrusted them with a task. Nothing is more frustrating for people – and more time-consuming for you – than micromanagement. If you’ve chosen an employee, given them enough time and offered them the right tools, why continue to control them? Why not use your “freed up” time for other things? If you have already decided to delegate tasks to others, let them do it themselves, give them more freedom and trust that they will do it well.
Also, understand that delegating is not giving others responsibilities that you do not want or enjoy doing.
main photo: unsplash.com/Brooke Cagle
