The Art of Delegation

It might sound easy, but delegating to others is one of the hardest things for many business owners and managers to master.  Failing to learn this particular art, however, has two major downsides.  

First of all, if you don’t empower your team members, not only will they never develop their skills to the extent that they are able to produce spectacular results, but they are also likely to become dissatisfied with the lack of challenge in their work and so will be less likely to stick around.  

Second, if you spend your working life doing things that you already know how to do well, you will not give yourself the opportunity to learn new things and grow your own skills and income.

So, how do you overcome what are often the control issues that lie at the root of poor delegation?  Simply be consistent in following these five straightforward steps:

1.    Choose someone who has already proven him- or herself in smaller ways.

2.    Rather than immediately tasking your delegate with something very challenging, start off slowly and increase the level of work progressively.

3.    Ensure that the delegate has both the right knowledge and the right tools to complete the assignment.

4.    Be absolutely clear about what you expect in terms of end results and deadlines.

5.    Let your delegate know that you are available for questions, but hold him or her accountable for the task.

Remember, failure to delegate can damage your business!