Delegation
- Home
- Skills & Tools
- Delegation
As a leader, you may sometimes face situations that require you to work beyond your capacity. Delegation is one of the tools that can help you in managing such situations effectively. Delegation can be referred to as the process of sharing the decision making powers and authority with the subordinates and lower level employees.
This process becomes successful when an employee is provided with the required resources and assistance. By giving others an authority to act on your behalf, you can complete the demanding tasks more efficiently. The responsibility and accountability of the tasks, however, remains with the leader.
Importance of Delegation in the Leadership Career
Delegation is extremely important for leaders due to many reasons.
- Better Time Management. Firstly, it provides the leader with more free time to tackle other tasks related to his business. As the leader does not have to do every single thing all by himself, he can focus on other important aspects of the organization. Many leaders have the view that only they can perform the relevant tasks perfectly. This leads them away from delegation and they have to get involved in every single task associated with their mission or business.
- Employee Empowerment. Furthermore, delegation boosts the confidence of one’s employees. It also prevents the subordinates from being irritated due to constant meddling from their leader. It is true that poking one’s nose in every single matter irritates other people. Alternatively, leaders who assign tasks of high responsibility to their subordinates and allow them to finish the job in their own away increase the morale of their workers.
- Increased Productivity. As the work is divided, this reduces the burden on the leaders. This increases the productivity of the leaders and enables them to create enhanced results for the organization.
How to Improve this Skill?
Improving this skill is very necessary for any leader if he wishes to become a successful one. This can be done through the following strategies:
- The most obvious thing that needs to be done is to choose the right people. Any successful leader has to analyze the available people and then select the most-able ones for the important areas. This process begins at the time of hiring. Only the most competent and suitable people must be hired so that delegation can be effective in the future.
- In addition to that, a good leader has to modify his delegation style a bit so that people accept the job willingly. You should never delegate tasks that you should be doing yourself or you find unpleasant. If you want people to accept the assignment readily, they must know that you have something more important to do. Otherwise, they will greet the task with resentment.
- Also, while delegating tasks, it always helps to tell a person why you chose him. Identify the qualities that led you into making that particular decision and do not forget to compliment that particular worker.
- Apart from that, you must dispatch clear orders while delegating tasks to your subordinates. Sometimes, leaders do not give orders to their subordinates clearly and then complain that they do not meet their requirements. This has to be avoided at all costs.
- Furthermore, it is essential for you attain the perfect balance of leniency and strictness. This means that you should give your subordinates plenty of freedom while assigning the tasks but also keep a check on the progress they are making. If you would not allow them freedom, they well get irritated. If you would give them too much relaxation, they might start delaying the job or stop asking you important questions about it.
Delegation is one of the most important factors which determine a leader’s success. A person who wishes to become a good leader has to make use of delegation and strive hard to improve this skill in the future.