How to delegate
Learning how to delegate effectively is the key to leveraging yourself and multiplying your value to your company. Delegation allows you to move from what you can do personally to what you can manage. How to delegate.
What does delegate mean?
The verb “to delegate” means to assign the responsibility for doing something, such as a task or project, to another individual. Delegating common time-consuming tasks to lower-level employees or contractors is a common practice among efficient entrepreneurs, business owners, and managers as it allows them to focus on more impactful tasks that require their full attention.
Why is delegating tasks important?
Delegation is one of the most important and effective management skills. Without the ability to delegate effectively, it is impossible for you to advance in management to higher positions of responsibility.
How to be a great delegator
Here are a few tips to help you delegate effectively so that your team shares the workload to make progress that benefits everyone.
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Explain why you’re delegating
It really helps when you provide context for why you’re giving someone a responsibility.
When you select people to delegate to, tell them why you chose them specifically, and how you hope to see this help them grow. Help them see each delegated task as an opportunity to take on more responsibilities or grow new skills.
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Provide the right instructions
Every good delegator provides basic and important information without micro-managing.
Tell someone your goals or the milestones you hope to hit and let them tackle the problem in their own way. Don’t look for perfection or micromanage; someone else might complete a task differently than you would. As long as you get the result you’re looking for, that’s OK.
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Provide resources and training
You’ve got to make sure the person tasked with a job or project has the tools and resources they need to be successful.
Make sure that when you delegate a task, the person has the tools and skills they need to complete the task, or provide a way for them to work on those skills. For example, if you ask someone to use a specific tool they’ve never used before to complete a task, make sure there’s a plan for them to become familiar with the tool first.
