Delegation is an important skill that all bosses should possess, but that many fail to ever properly learn. It is a balancing act where the authority and tasks in a business are divided and shared by the boss and his or her subordinates. While delegating may seem counterintuitive, it actually allows you to get more done in the long run because of the “multiplying effect.” As employees are tasked with more goals to accomplish, they become engaged and will take ownership. This will allow you to focus on other goals and tasks and grow your business with the help and support of your workforce.
Delegation is about selecting the right projects to delegate, keeping the right tasks for yourself, finding the right people to delegate projects to, and communicating effectively with your workforce. It is crucial that you realize that no matter how strong a leader you are, eventually you will need help. If you are unable to ask for it, you will fail. By delegating, you are actually multiplying yourself by dividing your work among others. While it is difficult to let go and entrust others to accomplish goals and do what is right for your business, it is crucial that you learn to do so in the right way.
Here are some of the benefits of delegating:
- When you delegate, you are able to divide your work, thus reducing your workload so you can focus on your “vital few” which are important tasks like planning, networking and growing your business.
- Delegating makes you a more effective manager in the long run because you are able to focus your energy on critical issues. By being a more effective manager, you will encourage your employees to be more effective workers.
- By delegating, you build a strong foundation for your relationships with your employees. You will develop meaningful relationships by showing that you trust them with certain tasks, and have faith that they will accomplish them.
- When you delegate, your employees not only feel trusted, but will also feel a sense of importance. This will motivate them to work and provide good results. They’ll also have higher job satisfaction. This is key in retaining them as your employees long-term.
- Delegation of authority not only helps improve your employees’ work, but it also helps your managers develop their own skills and talents. Because delegation gives your managers enough time to concentrate on important issues, their decision-making and communication skills will be stronger, and they can get more work done in less time. By learning to delegate, they will also be more effective at motivating and leading their team.
As you learn to better delegate, you will find that it benefits you, your managers, and your employees. Your business will be more stable because many people will be involved in making it function properly rather than you taking all the burden upon yourself. Great delegation will not only save you time and money, but it will also provide you with an opportunity to build capability and capacity in your workforce. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The best leaders are the ones who have enough sense to pick good men to do what they want done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
Comments are closed.