Teaching Employees to Delegate

“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.” These words of wisdom came from master delegator Ronald Reagan.

A good manager knows how to delegate and understands the importance of assigning individual pieces of work to complete a whole picture. But often managers don’t know how to pass their delegating skills on to their employees. In a busy company, empowering key employees to delegate work is an essential skill; it’s what gives top performers the freedom to be more productive.

Identifying Delegates

A manager’s first step is to identify star employees who will act as their surrogates for particular jobs or projects. This frees up the manager and empowers the employees, giving them more stake in the company and more confidence in their positions.

Give employees a test-drive on a small project to find out who will be most effective in delegating tasks. Not every excellent employee will be successful in the role of delegator. An anxious employee or one with significant control issues may not ever make the transition. However, people who have already shown themselves to be good team members, who have seen what good team leadership is, and who have themselves been supported as delegates will probably be competent delegators.

Be aware that the most trusted, accomplished employees could be reluctant to delegate, very hands-on, overworked, and maybe also stressed out and exhausted. They may be trapped in the familiar mindset of “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” That attitude, while noble, is counterproductive.

The first thing to do is to express to these chosen employees that there is no premium on martyrdom. Make it clear that the go-it-alone strategy will not be rewarded. Rather, encourage them to reach out to other employees for help with their workload, and let them know that this kind of delegation is a skill you value.

Training Delegators

It’s critical that new delegators be given a strong support system within the organization. Inevitably something will go wrong; a task that’s been delegated will not be completed successfully, and glitches will occur along the way. Top performers are less apt to delegate tasks if they’re afraid of backlash. Dispel this fear immediately and emphatically. The idea here is to encourage them to take some chances, get out of their comfort zone, and start delegating.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that delegators should be random and messy in assigning duties. Rather, they should be armed with the authority to delegate and be given all the tools they need to do it effectively.

Imparting hands-on techniques that employees can tap when delegating will go a long way toward creating a positive environment and launching them as expert delegators. Here are a few tips for employees empowered to delegate:

• Never delegate a job to someone incapable of accomplishing the task. Make sure a task is not outside an employee’s expertise or capabilities.
• Communicate regularly with delegates and let them know
• you are there to help.
• Check in with delegates periodically and keep an eye on their work to ensure assignments are performed effectively.
• Tell delegates how the projects they are working on fit into the company’s big-picture goals.
• Allow delegates to be part of team meetings or have regular contact with other delegates so they can understand the larger process and be sure they are on track.
• Give delegates authority, however limited, to tap the company resources they need to accomplish their goals.
• Ensure delegates they are fully supported by the company, so if they “mess up” or run into trouble they are not out on a limb alone.