The Art of Delegation

It’s well known that great leaders regularly delegate.

But how do you know if you need to delegate more?

Red flag No. 1: You say things like, “I’m overwhelmed. I get sucked into too many meetings,” or “I’m drained by all of the decisions that I have to make.”

Red flag No. 2: Your ability to unplug can only be measured in hours, not days or weeks.

Red flag No. 3: You don’t delegate a task because a portion of the process is complex or has exceptions.

Red flag No. 4: You once tried to delegate a responsibility and it didn’t go well, so you took the task back.

Reg flag No. 5: You find yourself stuck in a decision bottleneck, leading to inaction on many fronts.

Red flag No. 6: You aren’t happy or fulfilled at work.

Red flag No. 7: You claim you don't have time to delegate or train someone.

Any of these ring a bell? If so, here are steps you can take as a leader to develop your ability to delegate:

1. Notice where you are spending most of your time. If you saw yourself in many of the red flags above, you are likely spending too much time on projects. It’s a great place to start to delegate.
2. Have conversations with your top employees. Ask:

• Are you able to take on more work?
• Are you fully engaged?
• In what area(s) would you like to take on more responsibility?
• How can I empower you to make crucial decisions?
• Discuss areas for you to begin to delegate. Start slowly and limit risk or exposure as you delegate. For the company to succeed, you need your team's help to take things off your plate. Identify the new capabilities that they might need and mentor them until they have the confidence and skills to make good decisions.

3. Make sure that you follow up regularly for the handoff to succeed. Resist the urge to take back what you delegated when a mistake is made. Both of you can learn from the mistake. Continue to mentor as needed.
4. If you can’t delegate an entire process, delegate as much of the process as possible. Retain oversight in the portion of the process that requires your attention.
5. Measure your success by the results of your delegating responsibilities. Their success equals your success as a leader.

Have you already mastered delegation?   Let us know how you did it!   Was it easy?   Difficult?   Life changing?

Note: Credit Jack Craven and Forbes magazine for this content

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