Leaders often get confused between assigning and delegating tasks. They are generally used as an umbrella term for one task, but they aren’t. Delegating tasks is a two-way process where two individuals, groups, or teams are accountable and responsible equally. Delegating is more like collaboration where both sides align their ideas and execute them while one person controls assigned tasks and the other doesn’t have any decision-making power.
We often think leaders are someone who can manage and excel in each task and lead others by becoming perfect examples. However, it is not true at all great leaders have always been fluent in the art of delegation. Leaders who micromanage or have a sense of control often face a lot of challenges and find it hard to gain employees’ faith and loyalty. Delegating tasks is not only about offloading, but more about sharing goals, vision, and ideas and being a constant part of the project.
What is the Art of Delegation?
Many a times concept and benefits of delegation is misinterpreted. Why is delegating an art? Because it is. There is a famous saying, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and delegating a task is a process of taking responsibility and accountability. When you delegate, you are still involved in the process by staying engaged without being overbearing.
A Gallup study showed that strong delegation skills in management are linked to higher revenue and business growth. However, a 2007 survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that about half of companies had concerns about employees’ delegation skills, but only 28% offered training. A 2021 survey also revealed that while the delegation was the second most important skill in reducing burnout, only 28% of participants received training in it.
Types of Delegation
We have mentioned below the types of the delegation that can be reached hierarchically.
- Task-Based Delegation: This is the core of delegation: You give an employee a specific task to handle, one step at a time. For example, they might draft an email or take notes at a meeting. It’s easy to implement and keep track of. It doesn’t require a lot of trusts upfront and can help build good habits. The productivity benefits are limited because you have to keep finding tasks to delegate and monitoring them regularly.
- Project-Based Delegation: Delegate a set of related tasks together. For example, instead of responding to individual emails, you might delegate managing the entire inbox. Productivity improves significantly. It also gives you a chance to build trust and strengthen your relationship with the person handling the tasks. Providing clear instructions and close monitoring helps in meeting expectations.
- Goal-Based Delegation: At this stage, you delegate a broader goal to your team members and let them figure out how to achieve it. For example, you might give them a goal like ensuring customer communication is efficient or making sure every customer’s issue is resolved within a day. Making them responsible for identifying the tasks and resources needed to reach that goal.
If done right, this can lead to a big boost in productivity. Giving them more freedom can also spark creative solutions you might not have thought of. Plus, it helps the employees grow and develop skills that can make them stronger leaders in the future.
How to Master the Art of Delegating?
Startup leaders are very connected with their businesses and find it difficult to delegate tasks as they are optimistic. However, micromanagement has never proved to be beneficial for any business. There are cons to delegating, if the vision is not interpreted as desired. With right guidance, information sharing, and constant updates leaders can help in aligning their ideas and vision. Let’s look at some of the steps that can help entrepreneurs master the art of delegation.
- Identifying important tasks: Focus on the tasks only you can do that have the greatest impact. These are where your time should go. Delegate everything else.
- Build trust with team: Delegation works best when there is trust. If you don’t trust your team, they won’t reach their full potential. Invest in their development and equip them for success.
- Create clear systems and processes: Establishing clear guidelines helps your team work independently while maintaining consistency and quality, without needing constant supervision.
- Transition: Start by delegating simple tasks, then gradually hand over more complex responsibilities as trust builds and results improve. This helps foster a culture of effective delegation.
- Celebrate success together: Like Carnegie, recognize and celebrate your team’s achievements. Giving credit not only boosts morale but also strengthens loyalty and motivation.
