Delegation is an essential leadership skill that involves assigning tasks and authority to subordinates.
Effective delegation empowers employees, provides growth opportunities, and allows leaders to focus on high-level responsibilities.
This guide will provide eight critical rules for delegating successfully in the workplace.
What is Delegation?
Delegation is entrusting work and authority to another person, usually a subordinate, while retaining ultimate accountability.
It allows leaders to distribute workloads and responsibilities across their teams.
Why is Delegation Important?
Delegation benefits both leaders and team members in the following ways:
- Allows leaders to focus on high-level tasks and strategy.
- Develops employees’ skills and prepares them for advancement.
- Increases productivity through division of labor.
- Provides motivation and ownership for employees.
- Builds trust between leaders and team members.
8 Rules for Successful Delegation
Here are eight essential rules to follow when delegating tasks and responsibilities:
1. Choose the Right Person
Match the task requirements to the individual’s skills, experience, and workload. Consider their knowledge, availability, interests, and development needs.
Purpose: Ensures the person can handle the task successfully.
Potential Learning: Assess team members’ capabilities and development areas.
Challenges: Delegating to the wrong person who lacks skills or time.
2. Provide Clear Expectations
Provide all necessary details about the delegated task, including deadlines, resources, requirements, and standards. Allow the person to ask clarifying questions.
Purpose: Avoids confusion and ensures shared understanding.
Potential Learning: Improves communication skills.
Challenges: Lack of clarity causes delays or incorrect work.
Delegate enough authority for the person to make necessary decisions and take ownership of the task. Avoid micromanaging.
Purpose: Empowers and builds accountability.
Potential Learning: Develop confidence and independent thinking.
Challenges: Withholding authority disempowers employees.
4. Offer Appropriate Support
Provide resources, coaching, and availability to answer questions. Offer feedback along the way.
Purpose: Sets up the person for success.
Potential Learning: Improves coaching and mentoring abilities.
Challenges: Lack of support causes frustration and poor performance.
5. Monitor Progress
Check in periodically for status updates. Review work as needed but avoid micromanaging. Offer recognition for progress.
Purpose: Allows course correction when needed.
Potential Learning: Sharpens feedback skills.
Challenges: Lack of monitoring leads to failure or delays.
6. Develop Employees’ Skills
Use delegation as a development opportunity. Provide stretch assignments to build new skills. Offer training if needed.
Purpose: Increases employees’ capabilities over time.
Potential Learning: Helps assess development areas.
Challenges: Failing to develop skills inhibits professional growth.
7. Provide Feedback
Give frequent, timely feedback on the work. Recognize strong performance and coach areas for improvement.
Purpose: Reinforces good practices and develops skills.
Potential Learning: Strengthens performance management.
Challenges: Lack of feedback demotivates.
8. Show Appreciation
Recognize the person’s efforts and results. Thank them for taking on the assignment and doing quality work.
Purpose: Boosts motivation and job satisfaction.
Potential Learning: Improves employee recognition skills.
Challenges: Lack of appreciation decreases morale.
Conclusion
Delegation allows leaders to optimize team productivity, develop employee capabilities, and focus on high-level priorities.
Following these eight rules, managers can delegate successfully, empower subordinates, and build a motivated, high-performing team.
The keys are choosing the right person, providing clarity, granting authority, offering support, monitoring progress, building skills, delivering feedback, and showing appreciation.
Effective delegation is a win-win for both managers and employees.
With 30+ years of training experience, I founded Oak Innovation (oakinnovation.com) in 1995. I help busy training professionals and business managers deliver better training courses in less time by giving them instant access to editable training course material. I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from University College Cork. I hold qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. Clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.
