DELEGATING – WHY IS IT SO HARD?
Too often, you might think that the best way to get something done is to do it yourself. While it works in many aspects of your life, trying to take everything on can end up being counterproductive. Eventually, as you make your way through your professional career, you’ll run out of capacity for many jobs that fall under your responsibilities. Why is it so hard to delegate when it’s time to ask someone to take over one of your tasks?
There are several reasons why you probably struggle to delegate your tasks to other people. It’s not uncommon, but it can cause many problems for your overall well-being. Some common excuses you may find yourself saying include:
- It’s a complex job, and no one can do it as well as me.
- It’s a lot of extra teaching. I don’t have the time.
- It’s a hard job, so I’ll lead by example and do it myself.
- I don’t know where to start.
Delegating is difficult because no matter the outcome, we are still responsible. It would be great to choose someone familiar with the work that you know you can trust to get the job done and get it done right. But can you afford to hire someone like that on your team? Can you help transform someone into a top performer you can lean on when you’ve got too much on your plate?
TIPS TO HELP YOU BECOME BETTER AT DELEGATING
Delegating tasks and projects may be hard, but ensuring success and managing any team is essential. Here are some tips to help you reduce your workload and improve your productivity.
DELEGATE EARLY AND WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION – Before you end up with too much on your plate and deadlines rapidly approaching, learn how to delegate early. As soon as you have a new task or project, create a job aid that is helpful for you and anyone who might be willing to help.
SELECT THE RIGHT PERSON – Becoming more comfortable with delegating means carefully choosing the right person. As a leader, you’ll know your team best and want to assign tasks based on each person’s interests. Do a trial run with a minor task and see how it goes.
SET CLEAR GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS – Every detail counts, and you want to be sure you detail your goals for the person you’ve chosen to take on the task.
WRITE OUT A DETAILED LIST OF STEPS AND TIMELINE – You’ll feel more comfortable letting a task go if you can detail the instructions and timeline for your team member to review at any time in the process.
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING – With every step and check-in, you’ll want to ensure the person you have assigned a task understands what they need to do. Check for understanding by offering a space where they feel comfortable asking questions.
INCLUDE YOUR STAFF IN THE BIG PICTURE – Make them a piece of the puzzle and include them in the big tasks that lead to big wins. It can make employees feel included and more likely to want to ensure their doing a great job.
ENSURE THEY KNOW YOU WILL BE REVIEWING – You don’t want to micromanage your team in any way, as that can lead to unnecessary stress. Let them know you’ll review to provide feedback, not as a warning.
REWARD THEM WITH HONEST FEEDBACK AND PRAISE – Delegating tasks is a way to help your team grow as individuals in their professional careers.
Delegating can lead to better relationships with your team by empowering them to take on complex tasks that lead them to grow. Delegating is never easy to start, but it’s important for you to be able to let go of some tasks to reach your goals. Remember to keep in mind your purpose in delegating tasks and the goals you’ll be able to accomplish.
Need to delegate an office redesign? Our interior design services can help! Contact us at 778-868-0424 or email uta@utanagel.ca to start an interior design project.