How To Delegate Properly

Every successful project has a team of talented and skilled people behind it. The speed of completion, would of course, depend on the team you are able to get together. This is why delegating tasks to the right people is so important. Nobody can handle a project single-handedly, the team has to merge well with each other, work in tangent with one another and anticipate each other’s needs. Anybody who works on his own will be able to cover only a short distance, but a leader with a good team can scale great heights.

Keeping this in mind, let us look at some reasons why some people avoid delegating tasks wholly:

The main reason why people don’t delegate tasks is because they don’t have the time to take the effort. Also, they find it tedious to explain the strategy to someone else and then ensure they have understood the concept. But that is not a good move because when you are doing the entire tasks yourself, you are not making the best use of your time.

Secondly, when you are doing all the tasks yourself, you are standing in the way of others who see this as an opportunity to improve their skills.

Thirdly, you can make use of the skills of other people and even fill the weakness that you may have when you are doing a project.

Through delegation, you are making the best use of your time and at the same time, you help other people to grow as well.

So when do you delegate?

The answer is quite simple. You can delegate when you feel you can make use of the skills of other people. If it is a task that only you can do, then of course, you cannot delegate. But when you have someone in your team who has the necessary expertise and knowledge, then you can delegate to them.

Delegating tasks effectively

It is a challenge – delegating tasks effectively and delegating the right things. If you are delegating a task to a person who cannot do it in the right way, then the effort is wasted. Here we have outlined a few steps to help you delegate effectively:

  1. Choosing the tasks to be delegated

Time is critical when you are on a project, so you can delegate whatever tasks you are not able to do. Use your time and skills on the most critical aspect of the business.

  1. Picking the right person to do the task

This is possible when you have an idea of the talents and skills of all the people in your team. Delegating the right task to the right person would bring success to the project. If you have to hire a new person, always remember to go for talent, skill and experience rather than remuneration.

  1. Have trust in the skills of the people to whom you delegate tasks

Once you delegated the right task to the right person, have faith in their skills. Don’t look over their shoulder to see if they are doing their task well. Give them the chance to do the task their way.

  1. Instructions have to be clear

The key lies in explaining the details of the projects and the requirements in the right way. Your instructions shouldn’t be too much or too less. If you give too many instructions, the listener might feel insulted, if the instructions are not enough, you might not get the desired results. But yes, follow up is good.

  1. Delegate measurable outcomes

When you delegate tasks, make sure the outcomes are also mentioned clearly. If you cannot measure the outcome, then it is because you cannot manage the task well.

  1. Authority and responsibility along with the task

When you delegate task to your team, make sure you give them the responsibility and authority so they can make crucial decisions, even if you are absent. Here the focus should be on the results, and not on details of how a person would do the job. When you delegate a task, you are delegating authority as well, and that in turn leads to trust in the relationship.

  1. The control in your hands

When you delegate rightly, you have the ultimate control in your hands. It is true that you can give them the power to take important decisions, but you have to establish and maintain control so it doesn’t go overboard.

As managers, the success lies in not exerting too much control – it is called micromanaging and is most detested among team members. When you exercise the right amount of control, you are allowing the people to perform to the best of their abilities.

Finally, Accepting the delegated work in its full form

Once work is delegated to a team, you expect the work to be delivered on time. The completed work would determine the success of your work; if you accept half-done or low quality work, it means your team is not aware of how to do it the right way and they might never learn to do it correctly.  And when good work is returned, reward or praise them. This is how you delegate tasks properly.

Interesting links about the topic:
How To Delegate Successfully
Different Ways To Delegate More Effectively
How To Delegate More Effectively

Pictures: Flicker.com / Estonian Foreign Ministry | Ann Martin | Maryland GovPics


The author: Reema Oamkumar is engaged as a thought leader at www.Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.

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