Understanding the importance of delegation and feeling comfortable delegating are not the same.  While most leaders intellectually understand that in order to create more time for themselves so they can handle tasks and projects that are more strategic, they have to delegate, delegating can be stressful.  What if it’s not handled properly, what if it’s not completed on time, what if you have to redo it…this thinking creates stress and will often cause managers to simply hold onto projects themselves.

Even those managers who do delegate frequently micro-manage the process from start to finish, never accomplishing the purpose of delegating…to free up their time for more important tasks and projects, and develop others.  This causes stress for both the leader and the people to whom they delegate.  

There are ways to delegate without causing stress, to both you as the leader and to those to whom you delegate, and everyone else around you.  

Stop Worrying About Perfection

A key challenge for leaders is the concept that they can do it better and faster than anyone else so why bother delegating.  Perfection is not the goal of delegating. Think about the first couple of times you handled the task you are delegating. I’m betting the outcome wasn’t the same as if you handled today.  Along the way you learned what mattered, how to think more strategically, how to handle problems and when mistakes occurred (and be honest they did), how not to make them again. Learning is a process and the goal is not perfection.  

Remember Someone Once Believed in You

Somewhere in your career someone believed enough in you to delegate and give you a learning opportunity.  You wouldn’t be where you are today if that hadn’t happened, give someone else the same opportunity.  

Delegation Without Trust Doesn’t Work

Delegation is supposed to reduce your stress but if you are apprehensive about the person you are delegating to the opposite could occur.  Delegation without trust doesn’t work, for you or for them. You can’t delegate and then hold onto every part of the process, that’s not delegating it’s simply shoving something off your plate to someone else and expecting them to be you.  It’s not fair to them, it doesn’t help you and ultimately it creates stress in you and them. Your role needs to shift to coach and mentor, providing direction and support. Recognize you are acting in a role as teacher, not simply passing the torch and in this role it is incumbent on you to teach, coach and mentor not tell, preach and scream.

Communication Is Key

Effective delegation can’t happen without effective communication.  This goes both ways. You as the leader need to be crystal clear about your goals and communicate this to others.  Additionally you need to open up the lines of communication and make it safe for others to ask questions, share concerns and discuss problems so they can produce the results you want.  The ones you delegate to need to be open to you asking questions, checking status, redirected their efforts and providing feedback, without being overly sensitive or hearing this as criticism.  

It may or may not be true that you can handle something in less time and with better results than others.  You won’t know this though until you delegate. A key to successful delegation and reducing stress is to remember that delegation is as much about people as process.  If you focus exclusively on process and forget the human element you aren’t delegating, you’re dictating.  

Each of us has our own style when we delegate and knowing that style can help us improve the results when we do delegate.  Click the link below to take our delegation quiz and find out your style. We’ll include information on how your style is effective and where it might interfere with you achieving the outcome you want.