05 Feb

Effective Leaders are Effective Delegators

As leaders, we frequently spend too much time doing tasks; we are working in the business rather than on the business. As leaders, we need to step back from the tactical work and spend more time on strategic thinking and innovation, and on coaching and developing others.

That’s why delegation is so key. It frees time and provides an opportunity to develop others.

The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.
–Anthea Turner

There are numerous reasons for not effectively delegating. The most common are not trusting that the job will get done to our satisfaction (not trusting our team), discomfort with assigning a boring task, or feeling guilty that the workload will be too great.

It doesn’t take much to start delegating effectively and confidently, though. Below are some tips to help.

Tips for Effective Delegation

  1. Plan your delegations. Assess the strengths of your delegate, match the assignment accordingly and assign a due date(s).
  2. Provide clear and documented instructions. This prevents misunderstandings and if the task is new to your delegate, they can refer back to your instructions.
  3. The best delegators provide the “what and when,” and leave the “how” to the individual which is more empowering and motivating.
    • George Patton said: “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
  4. Assess how long the task would take you and build in extra time for your delegate; obtain buy-in that the deliverable date is realistic.
  5. Ensure your delegate has the appropriate resources they need to be successful. Inform staff, co-workers, business partners, etc of your delegated role.
  6. Follow-up and monitor the progress; you may be needed to add clarity to the task or be nothing more than a sounding board.
  7. Acknowledge the contributions of your delegate and provide constructive feedback for areas of growth.

Effective delegation will increase morale, build your talent pool, and strengthen trust within your organization, ultimately growing results and improving your bottom line!

QwikTip and QwikCoach

PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.

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And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.

Learn More About QwikCoach

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Did You Know?

Graduates of PeopleTek’s Leadership Journey Earn:

  • IT Professionals: 19 priSM CPD credits
  • Human Resource SPHR/PHR/GPHR: 19 HR (General) credit hours
  • Project Managers: PMI – up to 37 hours / 3 PSM level points
  • Executive Coaches: 18 ICF CCE’s (Core Competencies) & 5 ICF CCE’s (Resource Development)