Many leaders want to do it all and they find it very difficult to let go of some of the items on their to-do list. But a good leader frees up their time for leading and motivating their team. Here are a few ways to free up time by delegating tasks to others.
Delegate the small, but important task.
If the task isn’t important, then stop doing it! But if the task is important, but can be done quickly and easily by someone else, identify the right person for the job and delegate.
Delegate the monotonous task.
Any repetitious task that can be easily completed but must be done frequently may best be done by another member of the team. This task might be easily rotated among all members of the team – cross training is good leadership! Or it might be handed off to a less experienced team member who is eager to learn and contribute.
Delegate any task where your result will be inferior to another’s result.
This may be hard for some leader’s to admit, but no one is a workplace super hero! So when you know that no matter how hard you try to make that statistical report easy to understand, you final presentation will be mediocre compared to what another team member is able to produce.
Tasks that require a talent or creativity that you do not possess, should be delegated to the employee who has the talent, creativity, and motivation to produce stellar work!
Delegating tasks is a behavior most leaders must learn; it feels wrong to offload something you do not like doing or aren’t good at onto another member of the team. But in actuality, delegating tasks strengthens your team. As everyone becomes aware of all facets of the project, they have a big picture concept and can make better, more focused suggestions.
And you will identify future leaders among your team!