Moving from team member to manager or worker to employer can be a difficult transition for many reasons, but of on the trickiest is learning to stop doing everything yourself and starting to delegate to your team. If you have recently started leading a team, you may be asking yourself ‘How can I improve my delegation skills within the team?’
I hope this blog will help with some steps you can take to improve your delegation skills.
Decide what work you MUST do and what can be done by someone else
Unfortunately, even when you are the big boss, not everything can be delegated. Take a good look at your task list and consider what you MUST do and what could be delegated. Yes, it may take some time to explain the delegated work to the team, they may even need additional training, but once they can do the work it will free you up to focus on what you MUST do…in the end they may even do it better than you (now there’s a thought).
Understand your team’s strengths and weaknesses
When delegating work, it is important to recognise that not everyone has the same skills and abilities. Where skills can be developed, they should be, but if certain team members are stronger with numbers, or are more creative you should assign tasks to the best person for the job.
Provide context and guidance
Rather than just doling out tasks, take the time to clearly explain the task, including why it is important, why you have chosen them to do it and what effect will it have. Provide any templates or resources. Give clear and complete guidance, check if everything is clear and ask them to summarise back to you so you can check their understanding.
Give clear deadlines and priorities
Be very clear with your deadlines, you may wish to set checkpoints in a larger piece of work, so you can discuss progress as you go along. Ensure that your team member knows whether this is an urgent priority or whether other tasks and projects can take precedence.
Invest in training and development
You cannot expect your team to deliver if you do not train and develop them. Investing either your time or your money to develop your team will pay dividends in the long run. You know…teach a man to fish etc etc.
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!
Communicate clearly and give feedback
Ensure that your team fully understand the work you have delegated and know that they can come to you for support or to answer questions. Once a piece of work has been completed give honest feedback, sharing where they have done well and any areas they could have improved or done something differently.
Build Trust
You will only be able to delegate effectively if you have trust between you and your team. This builds over time, but trust relies on honest communication, so keep those lines open!
Reward results
Of course, you can reward with bonuses, pay rises and away days, but don’t underestimate the power of just saying ‘well done…that was really brilliant’. In person, by message, email, phone, or video. One to One or in a team meeting, remember to keep showing your gratitude for good work.
Practice letting go
Yes, I have left the hardest one until last…as that Disney Princess says ‘Let it go’. If you have always done it yourself, it will be very hard to let go to start with. Begin with something small, maybe a job you don’t enjoy (that will be a lot easier) and keep practicing. Delegating won’t always give a perfect result every time but keep going and it will get easier and better.
I hope this article has shown you some steps you can take to improve your delegation skills within your team. If you would like more help and support to get the best from your team why not take a look at our NoLimits Community – become a member at any level and join our community.
By Duncan McKechnie
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!