Effective delegation is essential for impactful leadership of a productive team. When done properly, it saves time, boosts morale, increases productivity, and provides valuable resources for your company. Managers who build lasting teams delegate. They trust their teams and leverage their skills.
But, delegation can go wrong. Mistakes in delegation can lead to awkward office situations or, worse, lost sales or employees. If you are responsible for managing even one person, delegating tasks will inevitably be part of your role.
So how do you set yourself up for success? Here are a few key elements of any effective delegation.
Key Elements of Effective Delegation
Delegate Strategically
Avoid assigning only one-off tasks. Delegation isn't about outsourcing routine chores. It's about the dual benefit of developing an employee's competence while leveraging their skills. Whenever possible, the person performing the task should have the chance to see the project and take ownership of it.
So, let them own the work. Delegate long-term projects, processes, and goals. Your team should understand what's being delegated to them, why, and what the expected results are.
Learn more: Building Future-Ready Teams
Empower Your Team
If you’ve selected the right person to delegate to, they’re likely capable of doing the work. However, they still need the appropriate tools to effectively carry out your requests. These tools include:
- Context
- Authority
- Resources
- Feedback.
Delegating to them is step 1. Empowering them to do the work to the best of their abilities is step 2. Consider doing regular check-ins throughout the project. Your team member is now in the driver's seat, and you are the consultant.
Give Feedback
Providing honest feedback, particularly about your own performance, helps build trust over time and enhances both efficiency and understanding.
Always start with an (honest) self-evaluation (did I delegate properly; did I make assumptions; what mistakes did I make, etc). Only after that should you give your employee feedback.
The best feedback is
- Timely
- Frequent
- Specific
- About actions and outcomes
- Clear and direct
- Focused on future improvement
Remember, the goal is to improve the team's productivity, progress towards the goal, and your employee's competence. Use feedback as an opportunity to smooth out any friction in the process and bolster your teammate's confidence.
The Effective Delegation Process
Set the delegatee up for success. Plan and organize the email or meeting where the delegation will take place to avoid uncertainty or confusion.
Clearly Define the Project or Goal
Be specific rather than general, and ensure the goal is realistic. The goal is to identify a broad list and perform initial interviews.
Example: “I would like a list of 10 options for copyright attorneys with litigation experience practicing in New York State.”
Set a Realistic Deadline
This is frequently overlooked! If you don't set a deadline, your employee won't know how to prioritize. It's crucial to establish this deadline collaboratively.
Example: "Do you think three days is enough time to get this done? If so, how about a deadline of 12 pm EST on July 23rd?"
Now you have both the deadline and the employee’s buy-in to that deadline.
List Any Constraints
Include your specific needs around time, budget, or quality.
Example: “I need to sign this contract by the end of the month. Lower price matters to me more than experience. I am willing to pay up to $350 per hour for the right person.”
Authorize Independent Action
Explain what actions your employee can take on your behalf. Be sure to consider their core skills and avoid micromanaging.
Example: “You are free to interview any prospects on my behalf. And you may discard any obviously unqualified prospects.”
Define Success
Describe your ideal outcome. What does success look like? How will you gauge it? This provides context for your final goal.
Example: “This project will be successful if I sign a contract with an experienced, reasonably priced attorney in less than 10 days.”
Be Ready to Offer Necessary Background and Resources
These could encompass contacts, schedules, past research, call notes, previous experience, white papers—anything that might assist your employee’s efforts.
Example: “I am attaching a referral list given to me by my business contacts. Please start with this list.”
Confirm That the Other Person Understands the Assignment
A simple method is to ask them to repeat or clarify the assignment to you, which works well as a closing for the meeting or email.
Example: “Please confirm by email today that you understand this assignment, and have the resources to complete it.”
Schedule Regular Progress Updates
Frequent check-ins have saved many projects.
Example: “Let’s check in tomorrow at 2 pm EST to see how you are doing. Please call me with any questions.”
What You Should Do Now
If you need help delegating, here are a few options to help you:
- Download our ebook "How to Use Delegation to be a More Impactful Leader" and get a better understanding of what tasks to delegate, how to delegate effectively, and how to create processes that save you time in your delegation.
- Book a free consultation call with Prialto. We can help you free up more of your time by delegating repetitive tasks to a fully managed virtual assistant. One of our experts will assist you in creating a plan to assign your tasks, and we will even train your VA for you.