How and when to delegate as a leader
Delegating can be hard for a lot of leaders when it's one of those skills we're rarely taught how to do but need to be able to do consistently and effectively for it to save us time over the long term.
A privilege of being in a leadership role is that you get to (and need to) do less of the day-to-day execution of the team's tasks so you can be focused on the long-term projects and strategic planning for the team.
This can be a hard transition for a lot of new leaders who previously held a role on the team that they are now managing. It’s also hard for seasoned leaders who enjoy being in the weeds of the projects and have a hard time letting go of their projects and tasks.
For some, it can feel like a demotion to not be involved in the execution of daily tasks that they once were.
For others, it can feel like they need to be involved in the execution of daily tasks in order to continue to prove their worth and value on the team.
And for some, they know they can do the tasks faster than others on their team, so they'd rather just do it themselves than train someone else how to do it. They also tend to believe the other person won't do it as well as themselves anyways so it feels like a waste of time.
Sound familiar? Don't worry, you're not alone. This comes up all the time with my clients too.
Despite these common fears and hesitations, delegation is a very important part of your leadership, both for you and your team members. In fact, there are four different types of delegation to approach each person and situation uniquely.
Topics we’ll cover below:
Before delegating
Simple delegation framework
After delegating
Why is delegating so important?
When you're properly delegating, your team will run more smoothly:
The workload will be more evenly balanced across the team
Your team members will be empowered and able to take ownership over task and projects
Over time, your team members may come to you less with questions or issues
You'll have more time and brain capacity think and plan more strategically
You'll be able to pivot more quickly and handle challenges or uncertainty more easily
When you're not delegating, or not delegating effectively, your team will run into more roadblocks and build more tension:
Your employees won't feel empowered to take ownership over tasks or projects
Then, they'll come to you more with questions or asking for permission
You may start micromanaging employees which builds up resentment on both sides
You'll spend more time in the weeds of the work
You'll lose sight of the long-term and strategic planning of the team
It becomes a vicious cycle that repeats
When should I delegate?
When you have tasks or projects on your plate that your team members could do at least 80% as well as you and your time or mental capacity is needed elsewhere. As we're growing into our leadership position, a lot of times we'll begin to take on new responsibilities that require more strategic or long-term attention. Most people's instinct is to add it to your current list of responsibilities without taking anything else off of your list. But as a manager, it's in your best interest to delegate your easier tasks to people on your team that can do it or learn to do it almost as well as you can. They don't have to be perfect immediately at it, but you can help train and coach them along the way to save yourself time over the long run.
When you know you're about to get more busy (busy season, performance evaluation season, hiring new team members, big project, etc.). By looking at your schedule proactively, you can give yourself and your team members ample time to get trained or practice before your schedule fills up.
When your team members want more responsibility or have more capacity. Depending on your team members, they may not come to you directly and say this so it's helpful to touch base regularly with them in your one-on-one meetings to understand their workload capacity and eagerness for more.
When you're leading a team or project meeting (even when you're not a manager). My favorite trick here is to have the meeting leader summarize next steps at the end of the meeting with the simple framework "who does what by when."
If you're working on empowering your own team members to take ownership over the projects and tasks even more, you could go around the room and have each person commit to out loud their own "I will do what by when" for higher level accountability.
How do I delegate?
Before delegating:
Take some time to prepare in advance. So many times I see people trying to delegate something when they pass someone in the hall, via a cryptic one sentence Teams message, or just without much thought at all.
I'm going to challenge you to think about it intentionally before you talk to the other person involved.
You need to think about the task or project and get clear with yourself about some key aspects:
End result: what does success look like?
Example: a 4-page PDF report or an excel spreadsheet with bullet list summary in an email?
Deadline: when do you need this deliverable complete? Do you need a buffer between when they send it to you for you to review before moving forward with the rest of the project?
Example: It can cause headaches if you need the deliverable for a 10AM Tuesday meeting you're presenting at and ask for it at the same time. Instead, give yourself time to review and digest the information and ask for it to be complete by Monday at noon.
Appointee: who do you think would be best to complete the deliverable? And what specific context would this person need to know to get caught up to speed on the task?
Example: Consider your team members' other projects and deadlines, upcoming PTO, and skill sets that they would bring to this project.
Simple framework for delegating:
Cover the 5 key perspectives below during your delegation conversations:
Who: who all is involved
Who is responsible for what?
Who else is involved in the project and do you need to connect them?
What: clear expectations of end result
What is the end deliverable? (make sure it is specific and measurable if possible)
When: deadline and check points along the way
When do you need it completed by?
When will you check in along the way?
When should they come to you with questions?
Why: impact of their work
Why is it important that they complete this? In other words, how does it impact the greater team or organization?
Note: This is super important to motivate them.
How: brainstorm a plan together or let them run with how to complete the project
After you've discussed everything above, ask how they plan to complete the task. This can help you both get on the same page further as needed about the execution of the project and you each can ask more questions.
Note: This is super important to help empower them to run with the project on their own. Each employee may need a different level of support in the 'how' before they get started based on their level of experience.
After delegating:
Make sure you’re available for questions they have along the way and check-in with them as needed so you can help them if they’re feeling stuck. This will also vary based on their level of experience or your relationship dynamic. At the least, add this as a topic to cover at your regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings.
Once the task is completed, always acknowledge their work, share the impact of their work again, highlight their strengths or anything they did above and beyond. Provide constructive feedback as needed.
If delegating still feels harder than doing it yourself, a Leader Reset Session can help you build a realistic plan to let go. Learn more and book here.
Brittany Canaski is a highly-rated Leadership Coach, Trainer, and Founder of Hello Velocity where she builds confident leaders and high-performing teams. When she's not building her business, you can find her planning her next travel adventure with her husband, watching Formula 1 racing, or volunteering in her local community of Charlotte, NC.
