How are your delegation skills?

Apr 14 / Michelle Unger
Letting go is hard. Very hard. It took me a long time to realize that I literally cannot do everything. That doesn’t mean that I still don’t try to, because I do. But I have come to understand and appreciate the power of giving tasks to others and not obsessing over it. And not being controlling either. Well, kind of. Still working on that. 

The secret to delegating is that you need to delegate the RIGHT way. It’s not about passing tasks along to others that you’d either a) rather not do yourself; b) have no time to do those tasks; or c) lack the skill set to complete them. Those might be the motivation for you to delegate, but it shouldn’t just end there. Oftentimes, people are disappointed when they decide to delegate which leads to a cycle that doesn’t really accomplish anything except make you feel that on top of everything else, you have to carefully watch over someone. Not very freeing to you or empowering to the individual who you’ve tasked, is it? So what are some steps you can take to make sure that the next time you delegate, you do so successfully? Read on.
Step 1 - Make sure that the person you delegate to is up for the challenge. Do they have the skill set to get the job done? For example, a deadline based task requires someone who gets things done without delay. If you give this task to someone who is a bit of a procrastinator, you’ve already set them up to fail. Make sure the task fits the person taking it on. 

Step 2 - Be clear with instructions and explanations. This is not the time to be wishy-washy or vague. Write it down, if needed or ask the person to write it down as you go through each step. Do not leave it to chance that what they heard was what you said. You may even want to ask them to repeat what you said back to you to ensure clarity, address any misconceptions that need to be cleared up. 

Step 3 - Avoid micromanaging. Once you’ve handed a task off to someone else to complete, it is time for hands-off. Don’t hover, overcommunicate with multiple check-ins, or step in when you are feeling anxious. It is ok to let the person know you are available for questions/feedback, but give a firm deadline and stick to it without interference. 

With some practice (a lot of practice), you may find that offloading even some of your responsibilities produces some desirable effect for both you as the delegator and your delagatee. You can focus on the most pressing items that are needed and someone else practices and perfects a new skill that they can utilize again and again. That sounds pretty enticing to me.
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