Have you ever found yourself thinking that it is easier to just do something yourself rather than delegate?
This is a common complaint I hear from the business owners that we work with. If you feel that way, it is because delegating is a skill that involves more than you might assume. The good news, however, is that delegating is a skill that anyone can learn.
Here are my top tips for helping you to learn and practice how to delegate well:
1. Recognize the Tasks You Should Delegate
This sounds simple in theory, but it can be hard to let go of tasks and let other team members take responsibility. Do not get so caught up in your tasks that you forget to take a moment and review what can and should be delegated. It takes practice to stay in the delegating mindset.
2. Consider Which Components to Delegate
You do not have to assign all of the tasks for a project to the same person. Consider which parts of the project can be delegated and who they would be best delegated to. If the tasks to be done require different skill sets, delegate them to different people.
3. Determine the Level of Delegation Required
There are 3 levels of delegation:
- 1: Delegating the execution of the project. In other words, you own the results, but you delegate the execution.
- 2: Delegating the results of the tasks. You share the results and allow the team members to determine how the task will be accomplished. For level 2, you still maintain the approval feedback and responsibility for the long-term impact on the company.
- 3: Delegating the impact of a task. With this level of delegation, the team member has the entire ownership of the project and will determine how the task will be done and the expected results and long-term impact.
4. Define the Task
Before you ever delegate, it is important to define the task. If you would like a task to be done systematically or to reach a specific goal, you must communicate the expectations before delegating. Standard operating procedures are the key to being able to delegate successfully.
5. Schedule a Check-in Time and Share Constructive Feedback
The art of delegation requires feedback and fine-tuning. Simply stating, “Let me know if you have any questions” does not elicit a back-and-forth communication. Schedule a check-in time before the task is due to review the work and answer questions.
If you are ready to start delegating more successfully so you can set aside overwhelm for good, use the steps above to practice the art of delegation. One important key however to ensuring that these steps work well for you is having Standard Operating Procedures in place.
Standard Operating Procedures provide the essential structure for effective delegation but it can be challenging to know where to start documenting especially when you are already swamped.
If you need help with that, I can show you where to start documenting and how to keep all of your SOPs organized and growing.
Click here to schedule a quick chat about how we can help.
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