Effective Delegation Tips

By Ryan Barnett

One of the biggest challenges a new manager faces is to stop "doing" and start "managing." Delegation is a critical skill for making the smooth transition. If a manager neglects delegation, their workload may be poorly distributed resulting in lower team morale and productivity.
The benefits of effective delegation include the ability to:

- Focus your time on the highest priority issues versus doing your team's work
- Develop the skills of your team through exposure to various projects
- Expand the amount of work that you and your team can deliver

Effective delegation requires an understanding of a few key components, as listed below:

1. Determine what to delegate - Invest your time upfront delegating the items that will yield the most downstream benefit. Avoid just giving the easy or the hard tasks. Consider delegating tasks that are interesting, fun, and provide exposure for the individual. If possible, delegate in big pieces (e.g., a project, a function, a deliverable) versus giving individual tasks.

2. Adjust for the individual - Based on an individual's skills and capabilities, adjust your delegation approach accordingly. For example, for the less skilled, provide more structure, more support, and more controls.

3. Explain the "big picture" - Ensure an understanding of why a task is important so good decisions can be made independently. Understanding the importance of a task will help build commitment and motivation from your resources.

4. Set expectations - Use the SMART- approach to clearly communicate and agree upon expected results, deadlines, and how success will be measured. Along with setting clear expectations, be sure to keep track of what has been delegated.


5. Make sure they succeed - Be disciplined about inspecting work and following-up to ensure good results. Evaluate progress, identify root causes of any issues, communicate observations, and coach team members accordingly. Provide constructive feedback.

The SMART approach ensures expectation setting includes the following elements: S=Specific, M=Measurable, A=Achievable R=Realistic, Time=Time-Bound.

Ryan has worked as a consultant with LeadVantage since 2007. Ryan's project work focuses on the utilization of best practice based project management, organizational change management, and process improvement methodologies to help his clients achieve their business goals. Prior to joining LeadVantage, Ryan's efforts focused on supply chain management. He earned a business degree from Indiana University with concentrations in Management and Entrepreneurship.