I guess your answer is no.  Ask yourself what are you delegating, and could you delegate more? The answer will probably be yes.

Delegating allows a lot of things, like having more time for tasks specific to your role in the company, therefore to fulfill your role and improve your leadership. In addition, delegating helps to develop the potential and skills of your employees and to motivate them.

But beware, delegating is not getting rid of unwanted tasks, or giving an order or even worse, giving a task then having to redo it. Delegating takes means “letting go”. You have to accept not being able to do everything, to give responsibilities and power to someone else.

But why don’t we delegate? For good and bad reasons.

• We do not have the staff.
• Employees do not have the required skills.
• It takes longer to explain than to do.
• We want to keep control.
• We want things to be well done.
• We want things to be done in our own way.
• We feel indispensable.

To delegate is to accept that things are not done the way we would do them.  So what? As long as it’s done, it’s the result that counts, not how we got there. Which brings us back to “letting go”.

So how to delegate?

• Identify the right tasks to delegate.
• Identify the context.
• Choose the right person.
• Make a good transfer of information.
• Clarify expectations, deadlines, objectives, expected results.
• Have good communication.
• Follow-up appropriately according to the person and the context.
• Support the person if necessary.
• Give constructive and positive feedback.
• Give them the latitude on how it is done.
• Accept errors! The person is learning, that’s important.

So, go ahead, delegate! You will have more time to do your job.

If you need help, contact us!