“It will take longer to brief someone on this job than it will to just go ahead and do it myself. It will be easier this way.”

How often have you told yourself this? And how often does it really turn out to be easier? In some instances it might be faster, but now your time is gone And has it prevented you from taking on a higher-level, higher-value task instead?

Small business owners and leaders often take on too much in the name of “just getting it done,” which can harm both the business and personal well-being. As a Sydney small business coach and mentor for since 2007, I’ve often observed owners and leaders hesitant to delegate work, resulting in significant business bottlenecking.

Here, I explore the art of workplace delegation, its importance, common obstacles, and how to start delegating effectively.

What is delegation?

If we’re to use a football analogy, delegation is a little like handballing. It’s the process of tasking responsibility and authority to others to complete an action or project. Effective manager delegation skills better distribute workload, giving owners and leaders the time and headspace to take on more important work that will truly move the dial.

Why is delegation an important skill for managers?

Why delegate, why not continue to get things done if you can?

Delegation leadership skills are crucial for management; they drive positive outcomes and minimise negative effects on the business.

Positive outcomes of effective delegation

• Relieves your workload
• Increases responsibility and empowerment among team members
• Improves work quality

Negative outcomes from lack of delegation

• Prevents you from undertaking high-value tasks
• Reduces productivity
• Increases overwork and burnout

What’s preventing you from delegating to team members?

There are many obstacles that might prevent otherwise good leaders from finessing their delegation skills.

• Concern that it will take more time to explain the task rather than complete it yourself
• Unsure who else is best-placed to undertake the work
• Feeling guilty about handing work over to colleagues – don’t want to appear as if you’re “passing the buck”
• Wanting to feel important within your team; doing the work yourself shows them you have the skills and knowledge
• Enjoying lower-skill, lower-value work as a welcome circuit breaker to more stressful, strategic tasks

How to develop delegation skills

It’s important to consider the following when learning how to delegate as a leader.

• Time management
  Strong time management skills ensure that tasks are assigned to the right people at the right time, preventing overload and ensuring a good balance of work distribution. Time management coaching can unleash a wealth of business opportunity and success. Indeed, if there were a single silver bullet to so much workplace friction, this would have to be it.
• Communication
  Clear communication can set the right expectations, avoid confusion, ensure everyone is aligned on goals and foster team collaboration.
• Feedback
  Transparent, considered feedback helps build confidence, prevent mistakes and improve performance.
• Training
  As a fully qualified professional business coach, I can teach you how to improve your delegation skills. I identify the areas that require development and look at practical, sustainable ways to build these into everyday work.

How to learn to delegate with Business Coach Mark

Some of the areas I explore when teaching clients how to learn delegation skills include:

• Identifying what work is low-skill, low-value as opposed to high-skill and high-value.
• Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of team members to assign tasks to the right people.
• Examining ways in which you can set expectations, instructions and desired outcomes.
• Ensuring the person delegated the task has the adequate resources to undertake it.
• Effectively communicating and remaining open to answering questions and offering guidance if needed.
• Empowering your team to receive the task positively as an opportunity to build your trust and increase their responsibility.
• Monitoring ways in which you can check-in without appearing to micromanage.
• Providing constructive, encouraging feedback that team members receive positively.

Contact me today and find out how we can turn you into a master of delegation!