Self Help

It takes the work of a team of people whom are all working toward common goals for an organization to achieve great things. So, despite the urge to try to do everything in an organization, effective managers know they can achieve far faster and more efficiently by assigning specific tasks to their employees. Managers assign the responsibility for completing tasks through delegation. But simply assigning tasks and then walking away is not enough. For delegation to be effective, managers must also give employees both the authority and the resources necessary to complete tasks effectively.

Skillful delegation is a win-win activity. By delegating well, you prepare yourself for promotions and train someone who could take your place so you can move up. By delegating, others do much of the day-to-day work in your organization, freeing you up to manage, plan, and take on the kinds of jobs that only you can do as a manager. Not only that, but as your employees develop a broader range of skills as a result of having tasks delegated to them, they are likely to be more satisfied and ready to move up the organization with you. This in turn builds trust, enhances your career potential, and improves your organization’s bottom line.

Delegation skills can make or break a manager’s career. Effective delegation produces managers who, rather than being overloaded, are able to take on larger jobs in the organization and are more satisfied and better paid than those managers who don’t delegate effectively.

So why is it that many managers have such a hard time delegating? As you might imagine, there are a variety of reasons, including: They are too busy and just don’t have enough time. They don’t trust their employees to complete their assignments correctly or on time. And they don’t know how to delegate effectively.

Still not convinced that delegation is the right way to go? Well consider the following list of reasons why delegation is powerful:

1. Your success as a manager depends on it. The fundamental job of a manager is to get things done through others. When you’re doing everything yourself, you’re not getting things done through others—and you’re setting yourself up for failure in a very big way.

2. You can’t do all. You cannot do everything yourself - it’s just not possible, and you shouldn’t even try.

3. Your job is to concentrate your efforts on the things that you can do and your staff can’t. As a manager, there are certain tasks that you are uniquely qualified to do. It’s best for you to focus on doing your job, while you let your employees do theirs.

4. Delegation gets workers in the organization more involved. Employees who are not allowed to play a role in the decisions that most closely affect them are employees who disengage from their organizations and end up going through the motions until they either quit or retire. By delegating tasks to workers, you’ll keep them engaged in their organizations—making them more effective employees in the process.