The Importance of Delegating

Delegation is something that many of us find challenging or even scary. If you’ve been in a position where handing work to someone else resulted in harsh discipline, you’re probably very hesitant to learn how to delegate. Unfortunately, there are many employers out there who do not delegate well or teach others how to use delegation in the workplace appropriately.

In this article, business professionals discuss the importance of delegating and the benefits they’ve seen come about due to the delegation tactics they’ve used in the past. 

Trust

Something that inherently accompanies the delegation process is trust. If you’re giving someone a task, you’re signifying that you trust them to be able to complete that task for you in a way that accomplishes your goals. Building trust on your team is one of the best ways to strengthen your organization and the relationships within it. By giving your staff more responsibility, you can communicate your trust and encourage them to do the same with each other.

“You have to trust that you’ve done a good job in hiring a competent group of people,” says Alan Ahdoot, Founder and Partner of Adamson Ahdoot Law. “The entire reason you have a team is for support, so take advantage of the people that are working for you that want to help the organization succeed and trust them with projects or assignments that you may not have the time to pursue.”

“Communicating trust to your team through delegation can be an incredible way to boost office morale and give your staff confidence,” says Jared Hines, Head of Operations at Acre Gold. “Let them know that these things are important and you’re trusting them with this responsibility because you know they’re capable of successfully completing the job.”

Your Well-being

Stress and overwhelm are two of the contributing factors to burnout in the professional world. Keep yourself from spiraling into this trajectory by learning to delegate before you are too stressed to figure things out. Delegation is a process that can cause some stress in the early learning stages, so don’t wait until you’re already being pulled under to try and figure it out.

“Delegation can significantly reduce stress and increase productivity, but only if it’s done well,” says Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Fighting For You. “Trusting your team is a process that will eventually alleviate your stress, but you have to start doing this before it is required so stressful situations are not amplified with the stress over whether your employees can handle something for the first time.”

“Don’t run yourself into the ground when you have an entire team of people around that could be used to help during times of tight deadlines and major projects,” says Julie Harris, Co-CEO and Head Of Coaching at Tim and Julie Harris Real Estate Coaching. “It can be hard to hand over responsibilities, but the payoff can be great. Let your team do their job so you can do yours without the added stress of trying to do too many things at once.”

Leadership

Leadership is a complex skill that requires practice and patience as you grow. One of the ways you can expand your leadership skills is by learning delegation strategies. A good leader will be able to teach others to lead and delegate tasks that require strong leadership from elsewhere in the organization.

“If you’re looking to grow the leadership skill levels on your team, start delegating tasks and put the natural leaders in charge,” says Eric Elggren, Co-Founder of Andar. “By fostering an environment for leadership advancement, your entire organization will blossom and grow. Leaders are valuable people to have on a team which is why we look for those skills when hiring.”

“Sometimes we forget that being in a position of leadership doesn’t mean we can’t ask for help,” says Karim Hachem, VP of eCommerce at La Blanca. “Leaders need to ask for assistance in order to lead effectively. Knowing how to do this with humility while setting an example for your staff is a phenomenal way to not only practice delegation but to grow your leadership skills as well.”

Efficiency

Have you noticed you’re not operating as efficiently as you have in the past because you have too much on your plate? Delegation may be the answer to this problem. Delegating tasks that your staff is capable of handling can help the organization run more efficiently because these big projects or tasks are able to be completed simultaneously rather than one at a time.

“As your organization grows, you might notice that the things you used to be able to handle are suddenly taking a lot more time because things have become more complex,” says Datha Santomieri, Co-Founder and Vice-President of Steadily. “Often, there are several tasks or projects that you can train others to complete that will help your brand maintain the efficiency you’ve had in the past even as you grow.”

“Many hands make light work and delegation is a key part of that,” says Karl Hughes, CEO of Draft.dev. “Rather than taking on everything yourself, delegation can allow focus to be evenly dispersed among several projects and assignments at one time which isn’t possible if you’re not delegating appropriately.”

Growth

Delegating is not only intended to help solve a current problem, but it can help solve problems that may arise in the future. Growth is great, but if you’re unprepared to handle the stress that accompanies that growth it can stunt the extent of growth you can achieve within your organization. Proper delegation and practicing this skill can prepare you for scenarios in the future that would hinder growth. 

“If your team doesn’t understand how to handle delegated tasks, a growth spurt in your organization is going to bring along some major growing pains,” says Akhilesh Srivastava, Founder and CEO of Fenix Commerce. “When changes and growth are happening, it can be difficult for people to also learn how to take on delegated projects or for you to know how to delegate to the appropriate person. Practice delegation on a regular basis so growth can be achieved with less stress.”

“Delegation can pave the way to future success and growth because you will be able to take on new projects and explore avenues with the time that would have otherwise been tied up in projects that your team is capable of handling,” says Russell Lieberman, Founder and CEO of Altan Insights. “Growth takes time and effort, so if you’re strapped down by the current operations and day-to-day tasks on your desk, look at how delegating some of these things could free up time in your schedule to look into growth opportunities.”

Conclusion

Delegation is something that can be difficult to learn, but can bring growth and success to your brand. Look around and explore the ways you could start practicing delegation in your office today. You may not want to jump straight to handing out your biggest projects, but pull in some of your staff who have shown natural leadership and start teaching them how to handle projects and assignments. Start small and work your way up so you’re prepared for growth in the future.

Growth, trust, and efficiency are just some of the ways you can advance your brand through delegation. Leading others requires more than making the decisions and having control. Show your staff how a leader can delegate and grow in leadership skills while also looking after your own wellbeing.

Overall, it sounds like delegation can positively affect nearly every aspect of your organization. So, where can you start implementing delegation processes?