What Is Delegation and Why Is It Important?

Delegating work is one of the most important things managers do. It is a powerful management tool. But how many times have you delegated something without knowing exactly why you needed to do it? Or worse, you’ve delegated something because you thought someone else could handle it better. Here are a couple of tips for effective delegation (to make better delegation decisions or improve your delegation process):

1. Know What You Are Delegating

Before you start making delegation decisions, make sure you understand what task needs to be done. If you don’t know the answer, ask. Also, make sure you understand why you need to delegate the task. Is there a deadline coming up? Does it require special skills? Do you want to free up some time for yourself?

Remember to:

Set Expectations

Make sure you set expectations about the quality of work that will come out of the delegation process. For example, if you say “I’ll handle the project myself,” you might end up having to spend extra hours cleaning up sloppy work or fixing mistakes. On the flip side, if you say “You’re responsible for delivering high-quality work every single time,” you might find yourself underwhelmed when you receive subpar work.

Give Clear Instructions

When giving instructions in delegation situations, make sure you include everything you think is necessary. This includes deadlines, deliverables, resources, and even information about the person receiving the assignment.

2. Play to Your Employees’ Strengths and Goals

When you delegate tasks to someone else, it doesn’t mean you’re giving up control over the outcome. In fact, the benefits of delegation includes more freedom to do things like take vacations, spend quality time with family, or even work on personal projects. You’ll find that delegation helps you accomplish more while freeing up your time to pursue your passions.

Delegate tasks based on your employees’ strengths and goals. If you’ve got a team member who’s great at writing, let them write blog posts. They’ll be happier and more productive because they know their job well. If you’ve got someone who’s good at sales, make sure they get assigned to those clients who are most likely to buy. They’ll feel appreciated and motivated to close deals.

You don’t want to micromanage every task, but you still want to ensure each person is working toward the same goal. When you give people specific assignments, they know exactly where they stand. They won’t waste time trying to figure out what you want them to do. And they’ll be able to see whether they’re making progress toward accomplishing their overall objectives.

If you’re unsure about whether you should delegate certain tasks, ask yourself these questions: Do I trust my employee to complete the assignment successfully? Does it require specialized skills or knowledge? Is there a chance the task could distract me from my priorities? Would I rather do it myself?

3. Define the Desired Outcome

When delegating, it’s important to know exactly what you want. You’ll need to define the desired outcome before handing off tasks. Otherwise, it could lead to confusion and frustration later down the road.

The best way to do this is to start by asking yourself three questions:

1. What am I trying to accomplish?
2. Who are we helping?
3. How will we measure success?

Once you’ve answered those questions, you’ll be able to clearly explain what you’re looking for. This will help keep everyone on track and ensure accountability.

4. Establish a Clear Communication Channel

Delegating work is one of the most effective ways to increase productivity. But it requires careful planning and execution. To make sure you don’t end up with a half-finished project or a confused team member, establish a clear communication channel. This includes regular check-ins, providing progress updates, and establishing a clear understanding of what you want done.

Communication channels are often overlooked during the initial stages of delegation. When you start out, you might think that you’ll just send over a task list and let everyone figure things out for themselves. However, this approach doesn’t scale well. You won’t be able to provide regular feedback to every team member, nor will you know how each individual is progressing.

Instead, set yourself up for success by communicating regularly throughout the process. Check in once a week to see where you stand. If there’s anything holding up the completion of a particular task, address those issues immediately. And remember that you’re always free to ask questions — even if you think you’ve delegated correctly.

5. Be Patient

Delegating work isn’t easy and requires you to develop a new skill set – improving your managerial skills. New managers often struggle with the delegation of responsibility and figuring out what tasks are best left to someone else. But successful delegation can improve your daily living and boost employee morale. If you don’t give people enough time to master a task, they’ll never become good at it. And if you micromanage every little detail, you won’t help anyone develop skills.

When you delegate something important, try to provide clear instructions, set expectations about deadlines, and communicate frequently. You might even consider asking someone to take over a project entirely.

6. Deliver (and Ask For) Feedback

The delegation process isn’t always easy. You’re responsible for everything that happens within your organization, and no one else is there to help you out when things don’t go according to plan—especially when those things involve people. But delegating effectively doesn’t just mean handing over tasks to give yourself some quality time off; it means giving your team members the opportunity to provide constructive feedback on how they think you could do better. Delegation in management gives you the opportunity to see if your employees could potentially be successful leaders or future leaders.

When someone asks you for feedback, make sure you deliver it. From a management perspective, if you’re unsure what to say, ask yourself: “What would I want to hear?” Then, answer honestly. Don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings or making them feel like they’ve done anything wrong. Instead, focus on providing helpful guidance and advice.

You might also consider asking your employees for feedback about delegation. When you give them the chance to offer suggestions, they’ll appreciate the fact that you took the time to listen to them. And if you take the time to learn from others’ suggestions, you’ll become a much stronger leader.

7. Give Credit Where It’s Due

When you delegate something, give the person credit where it’s due, even if it’s just a simple thank you note. This makes the recipient feel acknowledged and encouraged to help you again. If you want to make sure they know how much you appreciate what they’ve done, include a link to the original post or article.

Acknowledge others’ accomplishments. People like feeling appreciated and recognized for their work. When someone does something great, let them know about it. You don’t have to go overboard; a quick “thank you!” goes a long way. But acknowledging people’s efforts motivates them to keep doing good things for you. This is another one of the advantages of delegation.

Give credit where it’s due — especially when you’re asking for help. Asking for assistance is hard enough without having to worry about being thanked. Make it easier on yourself by letting those who helped you know that you noticed.

Honing Your Delegation Skills

Delegating is one of those things we do without thinking about how much work it really takes. We just assume that someone else will take care of it, and it will be done correctly. But delegating effectively requires some self-awareness and planning. If you want to delegate well, here are three tips to help.

1. Know What You Want Done

You must know what needs doing before you can delegate (the aim of delegation). Make sure you understand exactly what needs to be accomplished. Is there anything you don’t know enough about to make a good decision? Do you need to ask others for input? Are there tasks that require specialized knowledge?

2. Get Help

If you don’t fully understand something, it makes sense to seek out additional information. Ask questions and look up resources online. Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t have all the facts. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you recognize that you don’t always have everything figured out.

3. Be Clear About Expectations

When delegating, it helps to set clear expectations. For example, if you want someone to complete a project within a certain timeframe, make sure you communicate that clearly. Also, think about whether you want the person to follow your instructions precisely or simply get the job.