If you’re new to any kind of leadership position, you may still feel it’s easier to deal with many things yourself rather than to delegate them. In the long term, that would be a false economy. You’ll soon feel overloaded. How do you learn to let go? Let’s hear from the experts.
Calculate the costs
A loss of control. A drop in standards. A rise in costs. These are common fears about the costs of delegating. Whatever your fears, the costs of not delegating are probably higher, says Dina Smith, the founder of Cognitas, a coaching company in the US. “Quantify the dollar value of your time, and determine what it costs you to do the task yourself,” Smith writes in Fast Company. But your calculations shouldn’t end there. “Consider the costs one or three years from now if you don’t change,” she adds.
Identify the tasks
You shouldn’t just hand over work that you hate. Instead, delegate tasks you shouldn’t be doing. Deciding what they are is not easy, but Jenny Blake, author of Pivot: The Only Move that Matters Is Your Next One, has identified five types of tasks to hand over. Any task that is “tiny, tedious, time-consuming or teachable” should go, she says. And the fifth one? That’s any task “you’re just downright terrible at”.
Match tasks to skills
Once you’ve identified the task, you should delegate it to the person in your team who has the right skills and time for it, but also the right attitude. “You should know each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, including his or her current, and potential, range of skills,” Jayson DeMers, founder of AudienceBloom, writes in Inc. magazine. A good match is the key to getting your team to do things well and to enjoy doing them.
Be specific and let go
Your instructions and expectations need to be clear and specific, as do the reasons why you have chosen this person to do the work. “Help them see each delegated task as an opportunity to take on more responsibilities or grow new skills,” writes Alex Cavoulacos, founder of The Muse. For that to happen, you will need to do two things well. First of all, you have to provide support whenever it is required. You will also need to know when to be hands-off and back away, Cavoulacos says. “To succeed (and to help your employee succeed), you have to let go.”