How to Delegate Effectively

Tap to Read ➤ Rujuta Borkar

Delegating duties is one of the most important functions that one has to undertake for the efficient functioning of an organization. Here, we will learn how one can delegate effectively and why it is considered so important.

Delegating duties involves handing over the responsibility of carrying a task through to the end to someone else. Delegating duties and responsibilities is actually a very smart thing to do because it allows you to concentrate on the more important things that demand your attention.

When you delegate duties, you are not run over and beaten down by stress and fatigue because the constant pressure of task completion that you have put on yourself is lifted. This then improves your efficiency automatically and you are able to handle the tasks at hand in a much better way.

Yet delegating duties needs to be done carefully so that the success of the task at hand is ensured. How to delegate tasks effectively then? In the following section, we will learn a little something more about this.

How to Delegate Effectively at Work

How can one ensure that the tasks which are delegated will be completed well enough? This completely depends on the kind of tasks at hand and the right methods to follow when delegating the same to people. Here are some factors that you need to look into when delegating a task(s) to someone.

Make a List

First, a list of all the tasks that need to be completed have to be noted down. That way, you'll be able to prioritize the tasks that you need to handle yourself and those that can be delegated to others. This will clarify your thoughts and allow you to work better.

Choosing People

The next step in this matter is that of deciding who will handle the tasks that have to be delegated. This will be based on the employees. One has to review their skills as well as their areas of interest, for obvious reasons.

The employees should be efficient enough and possess the required skills to carry through the task till the end. Similarly, if one is interested in a particular task then they can naturally do it better.

How to Delegate

Once you have decided who will be in charge of which task, the next task is to delegate the task to them.

When delegating the task, don't request, but rather command. The very fact that you are in a position to delegate tasks means that you have the authority to command. Of course, 'commanding' does not mean that you turn into a task master. It's just that your subordinates need to know that you're the boss.

Details of the Task

Then comes in the most important part of the task and that is the details of the task. How you convey these details is the most important factor and needs to be handled thus.

Keep in mind that you tell the employees exactly what needs to be done, explain to them the final goal and the results you expect from them, the time within which they have to complete the task, the kind of liberties that they can take and the things that they have to report back with etc.

Make sure that each one has got what they are expected to do. This will ensure that you'll are on the same wavelength and that they have understood exactly what you want.

Final Authority and Feedback

The main thing that you need to remember and convey to them is that the final authority will be yours.

You need to tell them what they need to report to you about and the things that need your final approval before being brought into action. For this, regular feedback from them will ensure that the task getting done is happening according to what you need and they'll know that they cannot slack.

Appreciate their Efforts

Appreciating their efforts and success is also an important factor of delegating tasks. This ensures that the employees feel appreciated, such that the next time there is any delegation that is needed to be done, they will do it happily.

It's all in the manner and the way in which you handle the aspect of 'How to delegate effectively' that ensures success in this direction.

Once you have understood the nuances of the same, you can be assured that delegating tasks will come naturally to you and will leave you to handle more important tasks such as anticipating and planning for what is needed to be done tomorrow rather than what is to do this moment.