Delegation can be difficult for many business leaders – even scary! When you delegate, you are handing over responsibilities. Often, these could be tasks that you performed well for years.
Wouldn’t it be better for the company to just continue the tasks yourself?
Rarely.
Delegation can improve the productivity of a company. You can complete work faster and grow branches of the business. It can even help you keep your most valued employees by giving them new challenges. If delegation is a struggle then follow these five steps:
1. Trust Your Employees
The first step to delegation is trusting your employees. If you cannot trust your employees you will never be able to delegate.
Ask your employees if they would like to take on more responsibility. Tell them if this could lead to a raise or promotion. You can even make this part of your employee development plan.
2. Establish Your Priorities
Create a priority system for delegating tasks. You can divide tasks into categories – for example, urgent, important, and low tasks. Delegate the urgent tasks first.
3. Hire If Necessary
No delegation systems work without a strong team. You may determine that you need to hire after you establish priorities and the status of your employee.
As a Specialized Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have helped business leaders hire productive employees to handle delegation, and to upgrade the caliber of their team.
4. Include Instructions
It would be great if your employees could read your mind. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t have that technology! Include detailed instructions to get your delegated tasks finished correctly and also set clear expectations. Eventually your employees will not require lengthy instructions which can save you hours, or even days of work.
What to Include in Your Instructions
- Detailed Milestones
- Deadlines
- Small Tasks
Delegating is a major step for any business leader. If you feel you need to add to your team, contact me to discuss your needs and we can create a solution plan for you. Contact me at [email protected] or (541) 639-3501.
