The first step towards leadership is making the shift from doing to leading.Mastering delegation is the secret of great leader ship.On the outset it might seem an easy task but it’s not. Delegation has quite few challenges of successfully or effectively completing the tasks.

It might leave you confused about what tasks need to be delegated and what not. And the process of delegation itself might leave you exasperated.

No matter how smart or active you are, it’s impossible to get things done all by yourself. So the art of delegation is very critical for a successful leader or a business owner. Mastering delegation might take some time and patience but once you understand the underlying process of it, there is lot you can accomplish and empower others in the process.

The best way to a get a grip on delegation is to observe how others are doing or seek help or guidance from your peers or seniors who have gained the expertise in delegating. One cannot grow into an effective leader without the skill of delegation.

It’s a tricky path to traverse this path as letting go of the ownership onto other and trust them with efficiency. It’s quiet challenging for leaders or managers who are used to micro managing. However entrusting others is the only path for great productivity and leadership.

There can be no other way to accomplish more than bringing together collective efforts, creative inputs, problem solving skills.

Let’s see how well we can delegate or learn how to delegate to achieve better results, influence and inspire others   

1. Be pragmatic: You cannot do everything by yourself

Can you build a house all by yourself? No, you need a team of construction workers right? Every individual has certain limited skills. It’s necessary to let go and delegate remaining tasks to others.

Trust others with their skills, do your due diligence to make sure that your colleagues or team members can be as efficient as you are or may be better than you are.

2. Plan and segregate

Come up with your own plan. Divide the tasks or assignments based on the amount of delegation. For Example

i. Tasks which have to be delegated as a complete module or end to end solution.
ii. Tasks where major chunk or half of the modules have to be assigned
iii. Tasks which require only few important or critical steps involved.
iv. Tasks which required creative and critical thinking etc

Decide or come with a plan as to whom you should assign and set right expectations and deadlines.

3. Communication is critical

Assumption is a major pitfall among managers or leaders. Be clear and concise about your expectations. Don’t leave it to guess work. Before delegating the tasks ensure that your team member or sub ordinate understands what he is supposed to do.

Do not miss on the details. Provide proper documents or relevant information. Take confirmations from your team that they understand your instructions. Double-check that your team is on the same page as you are.

4. Engage not spy  

Mentor your team by giving valuable feed back at the right time. You can be critical where ever it’s necessary. That will help or motivate your team to improve the quality of their performance. Reward them with promotions, bonus, and salary increments for their achievements. Be generous in praising when critical problem is solved.

Engaging your team gives amazing results. Be available to give inputs and direction when they need or seek. Have a review once in a while to give feedback so that problems can be addressed before they arise.

5. Encourage risks

Fear of failure keeps away many leaders or managers to take risks. And the same attitude is imbibed by their team as no one wants to take responsibility. Give enough freedom for creative thinking and problem solving. Encourage the attitude of taking calculated risks. When things go wrong give benefit of doubt before jumping to conclusions and conduct an informed post mortem.  

Provide enough resources and authority when risks have to be taken. When critical decisions are needed to be taken by your team, be part of the team so that execution of tasks happens under your guidance. That’s leaves less space for errors.

Some Final Thoughts

Having the right attitude is decisive for delegation. With little perseverance one can master the art of delegation. It’s no rocket science but just a process to understand and achieve greater things together. Delegation gives you the power to influence others to accomplish more.