If you are a manager you are probably trying to keep a whole host of tasks and projects moving forward at the same time.  You probably know that you could achieve more if you were to delegate more.  In my experience managers often come up with a whole host of reasons for not delegating.  I wonder if you recognise any of the following:

 

“I don’t have time to delegate”

 

“If you want a job done right do it yourself”

 

“It takes too long to delegate, I could do it quicker myself”

 

“I tried delegating once and I was let down by someone else”

 

Chances are you have heard one or more of the above, many times.  By not delegating, you are probably experiencing some specific costs or consequences.  It might be:

 

1.                  Continually staying late at work

 

Maybe you find that you are the person who is always first to arrive and last to leave.  If that’s you, chances are that you could benefit from delegating more.

 

2.                  Missing key deadlines

 

If you are finding yourself always delivering things at the last minute or even worse missing deadlines completely, it might be time to take stock of what you are doing that you really should pass to others.

 

3.                  Feeling stressed or under constant pressure

 

When we start to feel stressed or just constantly under pressure it impacts on our ability to take decisions, solve problems or focus on the bigger picture.

 

4.                  Poor performance rating

 

If you are in a management role, a large part of how your performance will be assessed will be on how well you manage.  If you are focusing all of your time and energy on doing rather than managing, chances are you will be poorly rated.  This might mean no pay increase or your job being in jeopardy.

 

So what steps would you take to improve your delegation skills?

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