Posts Tagged ‘delegate’

As a manager or leader you probably find yourself with a lot of competing demands on your time.  You might even be struggling to deliver on your key objectives.

Every manager and leader understands that they cannot possibly do everything on their own, yet many resist delegation.  In my experience part of the reason for this is that they have pre-conceived ideas about delegation.  Some of the common myths include:

1. It will take too long to explain it to someone else so it is quicker to do it myself
2. I have no one that I could trust enough to delegate such an important job to
3. I tried to delegate in the past but it did not work so I don’t think it will work in the future
4. If I delegate too much, my boss will wonder if they really need me and I might get made redundant
5. Delegation is for people who cannot handle a big portfolio of work by themselves
6. I don’t have the time to delegate with so much to do

All of these myths are just that.  Truth is if you want to prosper as a manager or leader, you need to be willing to delegate.  So what is stopping you delegating?

For many managers delegating effectively is one of the toughest challenges they face. 

Reasons Why Managers Don’t Delegate

• Don’t understand the need to delegate
 
• Lack confidence in team to do what they require
 
• Don’t know how to delegate
 
• Tried and failed in the past so have a built in resistance
 
• Like doing a particular job so don’t want to let go of it
 
• Don’t understand their role as a manager
 
• Frightened of making themselves seem easily replaced
 
• Think they have no time to delegate
 
• Have nobody to delegate to

How to Delegate Effectively

• Plan it in advance
 
• Think exactly what you want done

• Consider guidance needed
 
• Brief appropriately and check understanding
 
• Establish review dates and check understanding

• Create a buffer period so that there is time for revisions as required

• Delegate whole jobs, where possible
 
• Inform others who are involved

• Stand back, don’t hover
 
• Recognise work may not be done exactly the way you would do it

• Delegate responsibility as well as task

In truth delegating effectively can transform the results that you deliver.  So what action could you take to start delegating effectively?