The act of delegation is to assign tasks and initiatives to other team members. Delegation can be done to spread out responsibility or to make the work more relevant to someone else’s skills, interests, or priorities.
You can become a better manager by knowing when to delegate and how. Delegating not only helps you accomplish your important work, but also allows team members to be involved in exciting projects. Effective delegation allows for the development of new skills by team members. For delegating to a Virtual PA, contact Get Ahead VA, suppliers of Virtual PA professionals.
Why is delegation important to you?
It is important to delegate work for two reasons: to maximise your personal productivity, and to show that you are confident in your team. With effective delegation, your team can achieve more than you alone.
Delegation that is effective can also help prevent burnout, and overload. You don’t have to do everything. As a manager, it’s your job to see the big picture and delegate tasks to the appropriate people. Understanding the desired outcomes of a particular initiative is key to building your delegation skills.
Delegating responsibility to team members when appropriate is an excellent way to become more effective as a leader. This crucial management skill provides key opportunities for team members to develop. Delegation can be used to build up new team skills and track progress toward professional growth plans.
What prevents people from delegating?
Delegation can be a challenge, especially for new managers. Some people find it difficult to delegate tasks because:
- You’re worried that you’ll need more time to explain the process than to actually do it yourself
- You don’t know the importance of your work
- You want to be involved in interesting projects yourself
- You feel guilty for assigning more tasks to others
- You’re not sure of anyone else who can handle this work
