The art of delegation (entrusting a task to another) is misunderstood by many and underutilized by almost all of us. Some people are fiercely independent, and hate to pass things on to others that they could do themselves. There are many reasons people avoid delegating, such as a sense of perfectionism, fear of trusting others, fear of resentment from the appointed delegate, etc. However, consider these 3 points:
- There are 24 hours in a day. Generally we’d like to sleep for close to a third of that time, and after that we’d prefer not to work for 100% of the hours we’re awake.
- Some of the tasks we need done require knowledge and experience that we don’t personally have and can’t commit the necessary resources to learning.
- In order to get more done, everyone needs to delegate.
All of us are delegating right now even if we don’t realize it. Government is one of the largest and most obvious forms of delegation; we vote to put people into office and contribute our tax monies so that tasks we prefer not to do all by ourselves (pave the roads, incarcerate criminals, build schools, etc.) are done for us. Since we’re already doing this, how can we delegate more effectively on a personal level?
The ideal type of delegation involves a win-win situation. That is, the person who delegates the task and the person who does the task both benefit. Chances are, if you’ve delegated something to someone and it didn’t get done or wasn’t get done well, the benefits to the person doing it are not as motivational as you thought. Here are some ways to identify or create win-win situations that involve delegation:
- Identify an appropriate task to be delegated – This is an important step; think of things that you do in your workday or at home that a) you really don’t enjoy, b) don’t require your personal skill in accomplishing, and c) you can monitor without actually doing it yourself. All three of these traits don’t have to be there to delegate a task, but each one increases the chances that you will delegate the task successfully. A big factor in whether or not the delegation will be successful is whether or not the person delegating really feels comfortable in doing so. Once the task has been identified,
- Identify the benefits to the person you wish to delegate the task to – Notice that the focus is on the benefits, not the person. Once you’ve identified the benefits, the person or people who would make good candidates are much easier to find. Benefits can be money, goodwill, a trade of services, etc. When considering delegation to an employee vs. an outside business consider the following: Businesses or independent contractors need goodwill as well as money, but have the independence to leave a task unfinished because they have other clients/customers. If the business is used to doing this task for a reward, they will be much easier to motivate. Employees are dependent on you for their income, but may be difficult to motivate for individual tasks because their salary is paid as a whole rather than for individual projects. In the opposite of the previous business example however, an employee can potentially be more motivated to do a project for their first time, as it can show more trust given by their employer (needed if they wish to rise within the company) and develop their range of skills further.
- Decide what restrictions will be placed on the task and how you will monitor the results – This last step is the most complicated, because it makes all the difference between whether the task is done to your liking or not. A common misconception is that once the task is delegated, no further responsibility is needed by the original party. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is not about micromanagement or adopting a laissez-faire attitude; a balanced method will bring about the best results. Here is how to make sure the task is done correctly with a minimum of fuss:
- Demonstrate the task yourself, or verbally outline the steps involved.
- Clearly outline how the results will be evaluated.
- At the earliest opportunity, observe the person performing the task.
- Sticking to the original outlines, praise or correct as needed.
- If the task is to be done again, that is the time to revise the outlines.
By handling delegation in this manner, you will avoid overwhelming someone while still ensuring that your standard is being upheld. Realize that when you delegate you may lose some initial quality, but by continuing to follow these steps and making sure a win-win situation exists, the performance can go far beyond what you have accomplished on your own.
