The importance of delegation

Delegation is one of the most important management skills you can learn and is a vital tool to the success of a growing business. But letting go can be a difficult thing to embrace.

To begin with, delegation is often misunderstood. It is not simply a matter of giving someone else a task to do; it involves assigning accountability for a specific outcome and explaining the results that are expected to be achieved. This does not mean you have to completely give up control, you are merely handing over the authority to make decisions in order to complete those tasks at hand. If delegated correctly, employees will know you are still available for guidance and questions along the way.

By fully understanding the importance of delegation and learning to delegate effectively, you can reap the benefits for your business and yourself.

As the manager of a business you are likely heavily involved in the day-to-day operations. This may be fine in the beginning, but as a business grows these daily demands can begin to bury you when you could be pursuing other projects and opportunities. When you can completely trust your employees with various projects and know they will be completed correctly and on schedule, you will discover a new found freedom that can be directed elsewhere.

I’m sure most managers would welcome more free time to focus on the business as it can often be difficult to work in between all your other tasks when you’re carrying too heavy a workload. By delegating effectively, or at the very least delegating those tasks that become ‘time-stealers’, you can free yourself to do more for the business: plan growth strategies, provide staff development or find new clients.

There is a conception all managers have that they are the only ones capable of completing certain tasks to the highest quality. This may be true, but it does not always supersede the benefits that can be gained from spending the time to delegate to an employee. When a delegated task fails to meet deadlines or expectations, managers must remember that they are teachers as well as leaders. This presents an opportunity for you to turn that failure into a positive, career-growing experience through careful coaching.

When addressing the outcome with the employee, initiate a discussion about the challenges of the task. If you want to change behaviour, you first need to understand the problem. Broached in this manner, employees tend to open up and allow you to provide constructive feedback.

It is important to consider that any failure could in part be your fault. Reflect on the way the task was delegated and whether you communicated your expected outcome and provided the appropriate support and information to complete the task.

Delegating is not always easy, but with time the benefits are numerous. Delegating frees up time in your busy, meeting-filled schedule and empowers your employees, building their experience, knowledge, self-worth and confidence. Go ahead and delegate and watch your business succeed while you take a well-deserved rest.

This is a service that our highly skilled Business Advisory Specialists successfully provide to many clients, with a track record of very positive results. Could your business benefit from our expertise? For any assistance with delegation or business advice please contact us on (03) 9835 8200 or alternatively fill in your details below and we will be in touch.