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Delegation: One of Your Best Tools During a Downturn
Tighter budgets. Fewer staff. Heavier workloads. Higher stress. This sums up the situation of many managers today. If it describes your on-the-job experience lately, there’s no doubt you often think, “If only I had some help …” But you may have more assistance on hand than you realize: your current staff.
Delegating certain tasks that do not require knowledge or expertise only you can provide can enhance your productivity and reduce stress. It also can give you time to focus on activities far more critical to the success of the department and organization.
Delegate strategically
Delegating is not about unloading unwanted or uninteresting tasks on others. You will make a positive impact on your staff and reap the benefits of higher morale and greater productivity by awarding meaningful, challenging work to your employees.
When you delegate, you demonstrate to your workers that you are confident they are capable of taking on more responsibility and that you are eager to help them develop professionally. It also gives your rising stars, in particular, a chance to shine. Delegation can be a good way to help your leaders-in-the-rough build management skills, exercise autonomous decision making and gain a broader view of the business.
Find your delegation ‘comfort zone’
If you feel reluctant to hand off work to your staff or are unsure which projects to assign, try categorizing your projects and responsibilities into these three “buckets”:
1) Tasks you know only you can do.
2) Tasks a specific employee could handle.
3) Tasks any person on your team could take on.
Based on your assessment, determine the time, skills and resources that will be required for the projects you are able to hand off. When choosing staff members for each assignment, look beyond your top performers and usual “go-to” people, especially if they are already managing a sizeable workload. Instead, dig deep into your talent bench and distribute assignments as evenly as possible throughout your team. You may even consider collaborating with colleagues in various departments to help delegate work to others within the organization.
At the same time, don’t assign work you know is beyond someone’s capabilities. For some projects, consider assembling mini-teams of two or three people when you sense less experienced staff aren’t yet ready to operate on their own.
Don’t be a micromanager
As you delegate assignments, remember to define your expectations. Explain how you would like the task handled and how often you expect to receive reports about its progress. Impress upon your staff that you want to be notified quickly of any possible snags or setbacks, as well. Make clear the priority level of the assignment and set realistic deadlines. And be sure to explain how the employee’s performance on the task ultimately will be evaluated.
For many managers, one of the most difficult aspects of delegation is resisting the temptation to micromanage. When you’re not directly controlling a project — particularly a responsibility you have always handled — it’s natural to feel insecure about whether the task will be completed to your standards. But if you remain deeply involved in the project, you aren’t really delegating. Nor are you demonstrating strong leadership skills if you are uncomfortable assuming an outside role only on nonessential tasks.
It is important to allow your employees to put their stamp on a project and develop solutions to problems. They may work differently than you do, but it doesn’t mean their approach is wrong. In fact, it may turn out their method is better.
Of course, allowing others to take risks means accepting that things may go awry or not work out exactly the way you want them to. If mistakes are made, focus on what can be learned from the process and provide constructive criticism instead of placing blame. Likewise, when an employee exceeds expectations, let that person know how his or her contributions led to a successful outcome.
Delegation can be a rewarding process for both you and your staff members. It is an essential time-management strategy for you, and an effective way to foster the professional development of your employees. By delegating projects strategically, you will enhance the quality of everyone’s work experience and create a stronger, more confident and cohesive team that is prepared to meet new challenges once the downturn subsides.
Robert Hosking is executive director of OfficeTeam, the nation’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled administrative and office support professionals.
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