Let’s take a look at some of the more significant reasons to use delegation. As an owner, or key manager, one of your more significant responsibilities is the management of your team. If you’re too busy doing handling the day-to-day tasks you won’t have time to manage your team and their contribution may fall short.  Here are a few of the benefits enjoyed by owners/managers that utilize effective delegation.  

• It builds trust in management and fellow team members. 
• Less time doing and more time managing your team members. 
• More time to focus on higher priority and greater value contribution efforts. 
• Increased employee engagement that has been proven to generate better results. 
• Creates an inclusive culture that fosters organizational growth. 
• Reduced workloads and stress levels. 
• Enjoy a better work/life balance. 

The benefits enjoyed by your team members are significant as well. 

• Working with your team, they produce better results and are a greater value to the company. 
• Increases interaction leading to a better understanding of others and greater collaboration. 
• Delegation broadens the opportunities for staff members to grow. 
• Builds confidence and empowers others to contribute. 
• Maximizes employee potential and fosters proactive engagement. 
• Fosters creativity and efficiency. 
• Generates accountability throughout the organization.  

That’s a lot of potential benefit from the act of delegation. In order to capture these benefits delegation must be done appropriately. If it’s managed as a simple handoff like – “Here, take care of this for me.” – it will struggle to provide the benefits listed above. Effective delegation must be done with intention. That requires forethought and varying levels continued oversight. Fortunately, there is a defined methodology to ensure that your delegation efforts are effective. For those that feel the need, it can even be reduced to a checklist that will help you complete the effective delegation steps. 

In order for delegation to be effective it should incorporate these ten steps. 

1. Define the task. Be sure that you can articulate what needs to be done in a manner that your team member understands. 
2. Select the individual. Who on your team would benefit the most from taking on this task and is the task appropriate for their level of responsibility? 
3. Assess the ability and training needs. Determine if the individual has the ability to take on this task with their current abilities or if they will need additional training. 
4. Explain why. As you assign this task, explain why you need it done and why you have selected them to handle it. 
5. Affirm your expectations. Clearly state the objective, goals, and required results that define a successful conclusion to the effort. 
6. Identify the required resources. Mutually determine the resources needed and ensure that they will be available. 
7. Agree on a schedule. If there is a pre-determined deadline be sure the employee understands what it is and the degree to which it might be flexible. 
8. Stay Engaged. I know, you delegated this task so you could free up time for more important matters. But, as needed, with a much smaller time commitment, you should support, monitor, and communicate with the employee throughout the effort. 
9. Provide feedback on results. Help the employee know when they are on track with expectations or have deviated to point of needed course correction. Read my blog, Creating a High-Performance Team. 
10. Repeat the process. Using delegation on a regular basis will accelerate the progress of the team and the performance of the company. 

It would be hard to imagine any business that wouldn’t welcome the benefits of effective delegation. Don’t worry about losing your value because you’re having someone else help carry the load. The increased productivity will elicit support for the entire team, including you. Are you ready to capture the benefits of effective delegation and improve your team dynamics? Contact me and we’ll discuss how best to get started.