Here’s What You’re Doing Wrong When Delegating AND Here’s What You Need To Do

Here’s What You’re Doing Wrong When Delegating AND Here’s What You Need To Do

Delegating. We’ve all been there. Some of us are better at it than others, but most of us still struggle to get it right. 

What happens when things get out of our control?

One employee is working on a project and is hours UPON hours into overtime.

Another is working on the same project, but the output is slow.

Two others are not getting as much done as they should.

And somehow, you’ve spent the last two weeks working 120+ hours.

Where did we go wrong? One of the biggest reasons: insufficient delegating across our staff and departments. 

It happens. There’s no one specific reason we can’t delegate successfully. 

Sometimes we feel the job or task won’t get done to our standards if we don’t do it all. Sometimes we don’t articulate clearly what we expect from each of our departments at any point. And sometimes, we simply forget to check in to see how progress is going. 

There really isn’t one catch all issue or mistake.

What can we do to be better?

Realize we don’t have to be on all the time. Learn to trust our team.

Be clear about project stages and what we expect from each team. Delegate tasks early in the project so every team member knows what’s expected of them and how they contribute to the team effort. 

Remember to check in and support our teams throughout the project. Leading our team to work together towards our desired outcome is better for everyone involved. 

Last, it’s about playing to employees strengths, knowing where to trust departments, and, I can’t stress this enough, clear communication. 

Delegation is not a skill you can master overnight, but with a little practice your teams will work together smoothly and you’ll be able to oversee the entire production without losing sleep.

Delegation Dos:

 Know your teams and individual staff members strengths and weaknesses 

Explain clearly what you expect from each project ahead of time

Ensure each department has the right resources, tools, and knowledge at hand to complete the project

Delegation Don’ts:

Do it all yourself

Delegate to the wrong employee

Forget to give constructive feedback

What’s next for your team and delegation? Continue to support and empower your teams as they begin and continue to roll out your changes. Remember, it’s ok to become frustrated if you feel like things aren’t working out as quickly as you’d like. 

Delegation is a learning curve for most departments. It’s important to notice when teams are being overworked and, equally important, when they aren’t working to their full potential. 

Begin small. Usually, the best place to begin is knowing you don’t have to do it all and taking steps to ensure you don’t revert to old habits. 

Happy Segworking!