Delegating is a crucial part of being successful. As your business grows and you take on more and bigger projects, you simply won’t have the time or energy to manage all of the responsibilities while continuing to produce high quality work. Sharing the responsibility allows you to be more productive and competent in every project. While delegating seems fairly straight forward, many managers get it wrong, leading to an increase in stress and poor quality work. Let’s take a look at 4 mistakes managers make and how you can avoid them.
Delegation is your Friend
Delegation at home might seem favorable because you can put your feet up and relax. Delegation on the job can feel just as euphoric but with both feet firmly planted on the ground. It is not the enemy but a friend to both manager and team member alike.
The advantages of delegation include:
- The ability to handle more projects for increased revenue and business growth
- Personal success and skill building for employees
- More time for managers to do what they are hired for – managing
- Getting to know your employees better to create a cohesive team and not just a group of individuals
- Awareness of individual performance issues and institute plans to tackle them
Delegating within a company is the only way to perpetuate growth. No man (or woman) manager is an island. They need others to make the company strong in all aspects. In this way, sometimes the manager can be the speed bump and not necessarily the team members. The buck stops with you.
Avoid These Mistakes when Delegating
- Personal issues – As stated in the opening, delegating is not synonymous with giving up control. Passing along various aspects of your project doesn’t mean that you can’t handle it. In essence it means that you know how to get more done by utilizing the resources you have at hand, i.e. your team.
- Help your team members to succeed – Withholding information as a show of power sabotages your project and shows a lack of trust in your employees. Before speaking to your team, write down each task that needs to be done and what it involves in the way of skills needed and milestones to be completed. Always provide enough information for your team to feel comfortable with the task being assigned. Give them as much support as they need to be confident that they can complete the assignment.
- Stay in touch – Checking in regularly will catch any issues before they become a huge problem. Head it off by offering guidance to your team when they are in need. Maintain a balance of firmness and patience. Don’t let them drop the task back in your lap when things get tough. Encourage them to continue.
- Maintain your level of trust – Taking back a task once you’ve delegated it undermines the confidence of not just that particular employee but the entire team. To others, you might look power hungry or overly possessive. Give each team member a chance to do the job. You chose them for a reason.
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