Delegating allows you to lighten not only your “to-do” list but also your mind. However, it is not always easy to delegate. Indeed, if it is another person who performs the task, you continue to bear the responsibility. Discover in this article 5 tips for delegating at work. These easily actionable tips allow you to approach the delegation serenely.
Define the level of autonomy granted to the delegate
A major source of problems when delegating comes from the fact that the person delegating and the person delegating have not agreed on the level of autonomy. This can lead to misunderstandings and frustration on both sides. The scale below is taken from the book Management 3.0 by I call Jürgen. We advise you to present it to your team. Before each delegation, agree together on the level of autonomy that the person delegated will have.
Get training on delegation
Like any other professional and managerial skill, delegation can be learned. Reading these tips for delegating at work is a good first step. Getting training on the subject is even better! This allows you to acquire a solid foundation. A short training, over one day, allows you to better understand a clear methodology to learn to delegate serenely. Being more serene when delegating saves you not only time but also energy. You are mentally relieved.
Prioritize to better identify the tasks to delegate
We tend to want to delegate the most tedious tasks. However, in order to make the most of another person’s availability, you should prioritize your tasks in advance. To do this, we suggest you get inspired by the Eisenhower matrix. This generally well-known tool in management allows you to classify your tasks in a binary way in Urgent/Not Urgent and Important/Not Important.
Not Urgent/Not Important
As you can imagine, tasks in this category are not going to end up at the top of your “to-do” list. Even better, cross them off your list!
Not Urgent/Important
Tasks that fall into this category are to be scheduled. Put them in your calendar at a close and realistic deadline. If these tasks are really important, they will become urgent at some point if you do not deal with them. Under certain conditions, tasks in this category may be delegated. For this, you must plan a lot of time and above all regular checkpoints.
Urgent/Important
Oops, we are talking about this very technical deliverable that was to be delivered to your main client… yesterday! These are the tasks you need to focus on immediately. Don’t delegate these tasks, however enticing it may seem at first. Good delegation on important matters needs time. But you don’t have it in this case.
Urgent/Not important
Tasks that fall into this category are prime candidates for delegation! We advise you to test the tips in this list on a task from this category.
Define regular checkpoints in advance
When you delegate a task, you must give the delegate the right to make mistakes. However, the right to error is not linked to the result but to the process of carrying out the task. That is to say that the person has the right to make mistakes when performing the task. However, the objective must meet the real needs of the delegating person. This is why it is absolutely necessary to define, when delegating the task, to agree together on control points. Control does not mean surveillance! However, the checkpoints allow you to check that the person is progressing well on his task, moving in the right direction… in short, allows you to calmly follow the realization of it. Checkpoints can be temporal (every Tuesday at 3 p.m.) or linked to a key stage (example: once the person delegated has received the quotes for the room).
Never “get rid” of your tasks
This advice for delegating at work may seem counter-intuitive at first. Indeed, delegation should allow you to save time and focus on more urgent and/or important tasks. But in order to ensure a correct increase in skills of the delegated person and so that you are serene, it is essential to monitor the completion of the task. Then, with greater empowerment of the delegated person, you can move the person up the Jürgen Appelo scale. This allows you to support your delegated tasks correctly and calmly and to ensure their success.
