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Leadership Tip of the Month

June 2005

Copyright 2005 ã weLEAD, Inc.

The Art of Delegation

One of the most important skills a leader can exercise is the right use of delegation. Some managers who are “control oriented” rarely delegate tasks, and when they do they closely monitor the results to insure they are exactly performed the way they would do it! On the other hand, some managers delegate virtually all their own tasks in an effort to avoid work or responsibility. Between these two extremes is an effective balance! Proper delegation involves giving new and different tasks to individuals who report to you. It is a power sharing agreement where the delegator provides direction on the tasks involved, the magnitude of responsibilities given, and the range of discretion granted to make decisions without the delegator’s approval. In this leadership tip we will discuss what to delegate and next month we will examine how to delegate tasks. Here are some ideas on what to delegate to others…

Delegate tasks that are not a high priority, but are considered urgent. Duties that need to get done quickly but are not highly important are good tasks to delegate. If you seem to have a number of urgent tasks, but never seem to have enough time to complete them, consider delegating them as an option. It is better for these duties to be completed on time and routinely by others, rather than be delayed or ignored by you.

Delegate tasks of suitable difficulty. Again, balance is the key with this point. Any task you delegate should be a challenge and difficult enough to encourage new learning skills. Allow some minor mistakes to occur as this is an important part of the learning process. However, don’t delegate tasks that are “over” someone’s head or potential skill level. It is not productive to give someone a responsibility that will result in failure and undermine their self-confidence.

Delegate tasks that can help challenge or develop another’s career path. If you are preparing an individual to move into a specific role of greater responsibility, delegate to them tasks that are relevant to that future role. Perhaps you can make a delegated task part of a “new project” with the intent of helping them to develop new skills. This is also a good way to guide and evaluate a person for an advanced opportunity, before telling them what you have in mind and making a verbal commitment. If they don’t demonstrate the skills or temperament needed in the “special project”, you will not need to renege on a verbal commitment.

Delegate tasks that are better done by others. Be honest with yourself. Some folks who report to us have talents and skills we do not necessarily have. Because they are often closer to a problem or opportunity, they are in a position to make better decisions than we can. These are the kinds of tasks that are ideal to be delegated and performed by others.

Delegate tasks that are not central to your role. Don’t delegate tasks that are at the “core” of your job duties or responsibilities. This would include roles such as setting objectives, strategy, allocating resources, or evaluating performance and personnel decisions. Also, don’t delegate tasks that are symbolic and expected to be performed by you! For example, if you traditionally give a speech at an annual company event or “hand out gifts” at a picnic, these are not the kind of tasks to delegate.

Delegate a variety of tasks including pleasant duties. Don’t hoard all the enjoyable tasks to yourself and only give repetitive and boring tasks to others. If this is repeatedly done, the tasks you delegate will be performed without enthusiasm and decrease job satisfaction. Over time, it adds more stress to those who inherit these tasks and the quality of their work and decision-making will decline. The right balance is to delegate both pleasant and unpleasant tasks.

For weLEAD, this is Greg Thomas reminding you that Will Rogers once said, “Even though you are on the right track… you’ll get run over if you just sit there”.

On the weLEAD Website you will find over 70 other free helpful leadership tips. They are all available in a text version or as an MP3 audio!