Have you ever found your team drowning in work, thinking “Is it faster if I just do it myself”? If so, you’re not alone. Let's talk about delegation, a skill that is often seen as fundamental for managers, team leads and anyone in a leadership position. On the other hand, it’s also one of the most misunderstood and underutilized as we often want to “just do it myself”.
While many believe delegation simply means reassigning tasks to others, it’s MUCH more complex than that. Effective delegation is about empowering others to take ownership while maintaining accountability and progressing toward the overall success of the project.
Let's start with "Why": why is the proper delegation so critical? While you can’t do everything yourself, delegation is not just about lightening your workload; it’s a strategic tool for improving team efficiency, nurturing accountability, professional growth and achieving better results as a team. According to Gallup study, companies with leaders who are good at delegating generate 33% more revenue than those who don’t, hinting at the impact of delegation on organizational success.
However, poor delegation, dumping tasks without guidance and micromanagement can backfire even worse than not delegating tasks at all: those things frustrate employees, kill creativity and almost guarantee missed deadlines. Delegation should be approached thoughtfully, with clear objectives, careful planning and continuous follow-ups.
In this article, we’ll explore delegation in and out: what to delegate, practical techniques on how to do it, actionable steps to secure an effective and rewarding process for you and your team - all that. Fasten your seat belts, here we go!
What Should Be Delegated and What Should You Do Yourself?
Delegation is all about reaching a balance where tasks are distributed to maximize efficiency while still keeping managerial control to coach and guide.
As a rule of thumb, you should delegate tasks that are high priority for others but low priority for you. These are often tasks that contribute directly to someone else’s growth, expertise, or responsibilities but don’t necessarily require your personal touch. This includes but is not limited to specialized tasks beyond your skillset (e.g., coding, graphic design) and growth opportunities for team members (i.e., something that challenges your team members and helps them grow professionally, like assigning a junior developer to lead a small feature rollout).
Of course, some tasks should remain in your court. These include: critical decisions with long-term impacts on the project or business, tasks involving sensitive information like performance reviews or budget approvals, and responsibilities like presenting to stakeholders or pitching to clients.
Delegation doesn’t mean abandoning the task entirely. On the contrary, you are supposed to maintain the management control. By staying involved as a 'coach', you ensure tasks are completed to standard while allowing the assignee to take ownership. As a manager, your role shifts from doer to enabler, providing the tools, feedback, and support your teammates need to succeed.
Think of delegation as of investment in your team’s potential. When you delegate effectively, you empower your team to take on more responsibilities, growing their skills while freeing up time for yourself to focus on other tasks. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and accountability among your team members, boosting morale and productivity. Win-win.
One tool that can help prioritize delegation is the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorizes tasks into four quadrants:
- Urgent & Important: Do it yourself immediately.
- Important but Not Urgent: Delegate with proper planning and oversight or schedule a time to do it yourself in the near future.
- Urgent but Not Important: Delegate to someone who can handle the urgency without compromising quality.
- Neither Urgent nor Important: Eliminate or defer these tasks.
Technically, any matrix model will help you to quickly prioritize tasks at hand and address them in an effective manner.
Imagine your team as a ship crew. The captain (you) sets the course and oversees critical decisions like navigating a storm. But tasks like hoisting sails or keeping watch are delegated to the crew. While these jobs are vital for the ship's journey, they don’t need the captain’s direct involvement. However, the captain must still ensure the crew is skilled, equipped and supported to do their part effectively.
As a manager, you similarly delegate tasks to make sure the project stays afloat and moves forward while you focus on steering it toward the destination. You also need to know your team well as efficient delegation is based on the skill and confidence level of the team members. For instance:
- Low skill, low confidence: Provide detailed instructions and close monitoring.
- High skill, low confidence: Use a coaching approach to build their confidence.
- High skill, high confidence: Delegate tasks fully with minimal oversight.
Once you know what to delegate, it’s time to focus on how to delegate. Let’s break this down step-by-step to ensure that the delegation process is structured, transparent, and impactful.
Before you start, make sure you have established a clear communication channel as it is essential at every stage of delegation. A lack of clarity is one of the primary reasons why delegation fails.
When the communication is robust, you can proceed with these steps (I use them in most of the cases):
1. Form the Task with clarity: without a clear picture of the desired outcome, you’re setting your team up for confusion and potential failure.
a) Define a Clear Result and Deadline that’s realistic but challenging to maintain urgency.
b) "Sell" the Task by explaining the importance of the task and how it contributes to the project/team/company, highlighting the potential benefits for the assignee to create intrinsic motivation.
c) Explain the steps to help the assignee get started confidently. Provide a roadmap without micromanaging or develop it together with the assignee if your skills are not enough.
d) Provide Resources, whether that be tools, access or knowledge they’ll need.
2. Control the Task Progress
- try to maintain managerial oversight without micromanaging.
a) Check Milestones by setting up predefined check-ins to monitor progress or scheduling regular feedback at milestones to prevent surprises at the final delivery.
b) Review Task Completion against the expectations you set.
3. Motivate, Support, and Instruct.
a) Offer Encouragement to affirm the person’s progress and capability. Even small validation like “Looks like you’re on the right track!” can boost confidence.
b) Provide Guidance, Not Solutions. If the assignee encounters difficulties, help them navigate the problem without taking over so they retain ownership of the task while benefiting from your experience.
4. Close the task.
a) Approve the Outcom by publicly acknowledging good work.
b) Offer Constructive Feedback to highlight what went well and areas for improvement.
c) Ask for Feedback on how you handled the delegation process.
Now let me summarize all this in a set of nice takeaways.
1. Treat Delegation as an Investment
Delegation isn’t just about offloading work—it’s about building skills and trust within your team. While it may take more time upfront to explain tasks and train team members, the long-term payoff comes in the form of a more capable, autonomous team.
2. Know Your Team’s Strengths and Motivators
Some team members thrive on creative challenges, while others prefer structured tasks. Delegation works best when tasks are aligned with both the team’s needs and individual motivators.
3. Avoid Reverse-Delegation
Beware of team members who attempt to pass the task back to you. While seeking guidance is natural, make sure the individual retains ownership of the task.
4. Be Consistent and Communicate Clearly
Consistency in delegation builds trust. Establish a predictable rhythm of guidance and feedback.
By delegating tasks effectively, you create an environment where team members feel empowered and valued. They grow, you grow, and the entire project reaps the benefits.
So the next time you’re tempted to tackle that extra task yourself, pause and ask: Who on my team can I trust to take this on, and how can I set them up for success?
If you’re ready to unleash your team’s full potential, these strategies will help you lead with confidence and keep those tails wagging!
