Many managers become discontented when they hear this word, as it seems to them that in delegation they will lose their authority, their power, and their leadership.
Lots of them feel the need to do everything themselves lacking trust in others. Or simply getting irritated by the tempo that others work with which make them end up feeling stressed and overloaded. So they become swamped and overwhelmed!
The inability to delegate is one of the biggest problems of managers at all levels; nevertheless, delegation is one of the most powerful tools for a successful business leader.
The following 7 tips will help you to understand why should delegate:
It seems that delegation can feel like more harass than it’s worth, however by delegating, you can hugely expand the amount of work that you can deliver.
By not delegating, you place a heavy burden on yourself. You can become so overwhelmed that your functioning and your health suffer. Delegating routine work will relieve some of your stress and give you more time to do your job. It is a way of creating time so you can continue what you alone can do best.By delegating, you give yourself more time to work on your skills and capacities. This will help you achieve your goals in less time and set up higher goals to reach. You will become more efficient as the stress will be less, which means that your vision will be wider.
Hierarchy between you and your team will diminish by delegating. They will notice that you brought them to your level, which will make communication easier for you and them. In addition, explaining tasks and sharing ideas together will lessen the distance between the team’s workers. You will all be one unit doing its best for the benefit of all!
In delegation, when reaching goals, the success will be the one of the whole team and not an individual. A collective success will make the person feel as an entity with the company, and it will empower the team to look forward to another success and another challenge to break!
“At the end, an empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success”.By delegating, you give your team more confidence, making them feel important and letting them show what they are capable of. This will result in appreciation you and appreciate themselves, which will stimulate them, so they will work harder and become more dedicated to reaching their targets. Delegation helps staff members to be more engaged as they feel that their managers trusted them to succeed at the delegated tasks. They feel the urge to learn more and to work on their skills as they are exposed to more challenges.
Effective delegation empowers subordinates to make decisions and to feel their importance. They will be motivated to aim for higher achievements within the same company. They will also feel satisfied and content, which will increase their loyalty and lower the risk that they will start looking for jobs outside the company.
Actually, time is one of the most valuable resources a company has in today’s world. Effective delegation allows you the ability to maximize this that your company strives for – as they say, ‘Time is Money’! As it decreases delays in achieving tasks, and it also decreases delays on those who are waiting on you, as a manager, you are able to take more actions or make more decisions. Therefore, an investment in the effective delegation process needs to be seen as an investment not only in your people but also in the long term’s health and success of your association.
The fear of delegation is an illusion, just break it and you will have one of the greatest weapons to empower you and your team. Trust in yourself and in your team then they will amaze you with how far they can reach, making you reach even further.
Delegation is your way to success!
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Save time, accomplish more and grow your business through delegation.
While starting and building a business you will often be required to be the jack of all trades. You may be in charge of manufacturing, sales, marketing, finances, distribution and whatever else comes up on a daily basis. Keeping up with everything is not only overwhelming, but can be detrimental to you and the business. Learning how to effectively delegate responsibilities will save you time, allow you to accomplish more and will help grow your business.
Successful delegation allows you to hand over tasks to others whose skills are better aligned to accomplish that specific task. Passing off tasks allows you the time to reflect, develop strategies and prepare for what is ahead. To be an effective leader you need to be able to work on your business rather than in it and the proper delegation will allow you to do this.
The benefits of delegation go well beyond company leaders. The development of employees and team members is also at risk without delegation. Some employees have certain skills and aptitudes that can be developed and coached up. Assigning them new tasks encourages them to trust in their abilities and take on new responsibilities along with empowering them to develop their skills.
The theory of delegation seems rational and beneficial so what stops leaders from delegating? According to North Carolina State University, the main reason that leaders don’t delegate is that they feel they don’t have enough time. This short-sided approach allows leaders to complete tasks quicker than training employees, but hurts the company in the long run. Another reason leaders are hesitant to delegate is a potential loss of control. It can be frightening to trust someone else with one of your responsibilities. What if they don’t take it seriously or don’t do a good job? Through the transition, it will be important for the leader to develop the needed qualities in the employee as well as communicate clearly what is expected. Trust that your employees and team members are exceedingly capable.
Although delegation doesn’t come naturally to most, it is vital to helping your company grow. To become an effective delegator, leaders must recognize what is stopping them from delegating, identify what tasks can be delegated, find the right person to complete the task and fully prepare them to take on the task. Delegation allows businesses to thrive by providing more time to grow the business.
For information on marketing, managing or starting a food, agriculture, bio-economy and natural resources business, contact the Michigan State University Product Center at www.productcenter.msu.edu or 517-432-8750. Michigan State University Extension Innovation Counselors are available statewide for free business counseling.
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Post written by
Alfredo Atanacio
Founder UassistME.CO / Inc. 30 Under 30 2012 / Empact100 Showcase
Never underestimate the importance of delegating effectively. How well you delegate is directly reflected in how empowered your employees feel, which strengthens their skills, their decision-making abilities and, ultimately, their productivity.
Coordination, communication and plentiful trust are the keys to effective delegation. The result is a win for the employee and for your business.
Find the right person.
The first rule in effective delegation is to find someone who possesses all the prerequisites. These include strong collaboration, authority and reliability. As a great leader, you should have an understanding of the weaknesses, strengths and interests of your employees.
To go about this process, I recommend auditing the list of tasks you wish to delegate. Then, gather your team, and show them the list. Let people select tasks themselves based on their strengths and interests. This is a great way to demonstrate trust and inspire action within your team.
Provide clear instructions.
Delegation is different from micromanaging, and it is imperative to understand this distinction. A good delegator provides essential information with detailed and precise instructions, but does not micromanage. Your goal must be to convey the results you are seeking but not to delegate the methods. When you micromanage, you are only binding your team to your ideas and not giving them a platform to brainstorm their own.
So, instead of telling them how to act upon leads, tell them what you and your team will be doing, what results you are looking to achieve and the sort of sales you envision them getting. Your part must be to show them what milestones and goals you wish the company to achieve. How your team tackles it should be up to their discretion.
Train and empower your team.
Effective delegation happens when you ensure that the person being tasked with a project or responsibility is first equipped with everything they need. The key to every successful delegation is to train, provide and then let loose. Begin by letting your team member watch how you do it. Then allow them to do it with you, and then let them take over.
Throwing your team member into a task without developing their skills and providing necessary equipment first would be nothing short of vicious. When delegating effectively, it’s also important to empower the person with the authority they will need to lead and drive the project forward.
Review the task.
No one appreciates the sort of manager who delegates tasks to an employee and then squarely places the blame on their shoulders when things go wrong. Needless to say, don’t be that manager at any cost.
To avoid falling into this sort of trap, establish a checkpoint at which you review the task in progress. Don’t hesitate to make changes where necessary to improve the quality of work or provide feedback if it would help with the task’s progression.
Delegation is by no means the act of thrusting all your cares upon the shoulders of your employee and then sitting back to watch them collapse. Delegation means sharing equal responsibility but leaving the actions entirely up to your employee. Provide support by reviewing, guiding, sharing honest and constructive feedback, and encouraging your employee.
Place responsibilities into capable hands, and allow the employee to use their judgment to achieve outlined targets. Effective delegation ensures the maximum productivity of your business and empowers team members to acquire new skills and come up with innovative methods to achieve business objectives.
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