Knowing When & How To Delegate
Buried in work, stressed beyond reason, and limited in time seem to be frequent trends in the workforce. Luckily, there is a solution to help any leader or entrepreneur avoid these dilemmas: delegating. Despite how easy this may seem, the act of delegating is often not used for reasons such as thinking “it would be faster/easier to do myself” and, as a result, many struggle to ask for assistance from team members.
Recognizing When to Delegate:
The first step towards successfully gaining extra hands-on projects is to have an understanding of when to delegate. The best way to do this is to first, assess your stress level. Do you feel overwhelmed? Are you worried about making a deadline? Asking questions such as these can help determine if you might require assistance with your work.
Further, take a look at your team members around you as well. If others seem to have more free time while you’re workload continues to pile up, it might be a good opportunity to offload some of your assignments on to them. Remember a team is meant to work together and help one another, so there is no reason to feel embarrassed if you need to let go of a task or two.
How to Delegate Effectively:
When delegating there are some key tips on how to carry it out effectively. First, match the task to the person you’re delegating to. As a leader, you should be familiar with each of your team members strengths and weaknesses. Know which members have the skills that would be most beneficial to the assignment you’ll be giving to them.
If you don’t have a team and are working solo, delegating is still possible. Outsourcing to an external resource is an achievable solution for those working on their own. Take ConceptDrop as an example, we have a team of highly skilled, professional designers and copywriters ready at all times to take on any of your creative needs. Better yet, you can receive finished products within 24 hours so those deadlines you may have found difficult to meet are no longer an issue.
Further, when handing another coworker or external resource something to do, ensure that clear instruction is given. Provide an understanding of the goals you’re attempting to reach with the completion of the project. Helpful things to include can be examples or resources so those taking on the work have something to follow as a guideline.
Lastly, as Inc.com’s article states: trust, but verify. Once you delegate your project to someone else, trust that it will be executed. Allow the individual to take on the work the way they feel is best and be open to changes and new ideas. You can check in every so often, but there is no need to be looking over their shoulder every step of the way. Try scheduling touchpoints to remain informed on the progress of the project. This can be beneficial for both parties and allows you to verify that work is still being done without being too overbearing.
The Benefits of Delegating:
Being able to delegate tasks as a leader of a team or as an entrepreneur has many benefits. First, it frees up your time to pay more attention to other work that is a higher priority. The act of delegating can allow a team to work more efficiently, completing more assignments at a quality standard.
Second, providing co-workers with a larger workload will benefit the team dynamic in a positive way. Allowing others to take on projects establishes a foundation of trust within the team. You’re not only freeing up your time and using it more efficiently, but you’re also providing others with the opportunity to learn and grow. As time progresses, coworkers will be able to embrace similar or more difficult projects.
Next time you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed by a series of assignments, consider delegating to a team member or try utilizing an outside service–like ConceptDrop where a freelancer can assist taking on design and copywriting projects you may not have the time for.
