“Someone else can do something 80% as well as you do, delegate it to them.” – John Maxwell
Over the course of time, the strength of your organisation doesn’t stem solely from your actions: it derives its power from the individuals you empower. Building something remarkable rarely occurs in isolation: more often, you nurture individuals, and collaboratively you construct greatness. Failure to empower others will result in you becoming a limitation within your organisation.
What is Delegation?
“Delegation is the process of transferring authority and responsibility from one person to another.”
It is a fundamental aspect of effective leadership, involves entrusting authority and tasks to others. By distributing responsibilities, leaders can optimize productivity and foster skill development within their team. This practice not only alleviates the burden on a single individual but also promotes collaborative growth.
You need to think what you can give away? What task/ responsibility can you give to someone else? Who can you give it to? When you identify a team member capable of performing at 50% proficiency with a trajectory of improvement, consider entrusting them with the task. Through development and training, their potential for growth become apparent, and they might eventually surpass your expectations.
Delegate a single responsibility, entrust someone to oversee and accomplish it, and observe these four outcomes that arise when you empower the right individuals.
1. They feel valued
2. They will grow in their leadership
3. You are freed to focus elsewhere
4. Your organisation will become stronger
Why Delegation Is Important?
1. Team Building-
Leaders who master the art of delegation cultivate exceptional teams. When team members recognise their leader’s support in specific task, their commitment and dedication to the organisation deepen. Effective delegation enhances organisational growth, development and progress by building communication and fortifying trust within the team.
2. Focus on Important Areas-
You can free up your time of job to focus on more strategic aspects. It allows leaders to use their time and skills on the task only they can do the best.
3. Develop Future Leaders-
By having them work on specific assignments, they can learn how to handle different types of situations and manage a team. Delegation can become a tool of succession planning if leaders use it effectively.
4. Foster the Skill of Providing Guidance and Coaching-
By helping team members grow skills and navigate new tasks, leaders can hone their guidance ability. It can help them grow as professionals and ultimately improve their team’s performance.
What Is the Impact of Not Delegating Tasks?
1. Overworked & Stressed-
The leader is likely overloaded when team members are not contributing to individual tasks. The leader cannot focus on the critical aspects of their job because they are too busy completing someone else’s tasks. Furthermore, when leaders overwork themselves, this leads to burnout, absenteeism, stress-related illness, and even job loss.
2. Leaders Fail to Become Mentors for Their Team-
Great leaders delegate tasks to their team members to allow them to learn, grow and develop. However, a leader who does not delegate tasks leaves the team without skills-building opportunities. As a result of this lack of development, the team will be weaker in terms of work skills and knowledge.
3. The Team Has Trust and Compatibility Issues-
When the leader delegates tasks, they help to create a sense of trust and compatibility within the team. By delegating work, leaders also create an environment where team members can offer honest feedback and suggestions. On the other hand, when there is no delegation of tasks, this creates mistrust among team members. This lack of trust leads to miscommunication and conflicts, which can ultimately damage the relationship between the leader and their team members. Moreover, in the absence of delegation, a leader cannot ensure the development of essential behaviours like accountability in their teams.
4. Leaders Growth Will Be Limited-
As a result of delegation, the leader can focus on developing new leadership qualities. However, if no delegation is taking place, then the leader does not have an opportunity to learn new skills or build their leadership abilities – this limits their growth potential professionally.
5 Steps of Effective Delegation-
1. Analyse the task
2. Select the delegate
3. Define the task
4. Provide support
5. Monitor and review.
Conclusion-
The potential of your organisation doesn’t rest solely in your ability, potential of your organisation rests in your ability to empower others. Leadership isn’t about looking over your team’s shoulders every minute of the day. It’s about trust. It’s about knowing that you have chosen the right people, equipped them with the right tools, and that they will do the job right.
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