Delegation. It’s a tough topic to broach with professionals who pride themselves on their ability to manage projects and people. Traditionalists preach that “if you want something right, you have to do it yourself,” and while this can be true in certain circumstances, there is more power in proper delegation than some may initially think. Of course, there is a clear difference between delegation and lack of ownership. Skilled leaders will be able to differentiate between the two when deciding on what can be delegated to others., But it is a true reflection of leadership when delegation is used properly. Here are some of the most useful ways to integrate delegation into any professional setting.
Delegation Encourages Accountability
When a project falls solely on one person to ensure all elements are up to date, it can quickly snowball and become overwhelming. Even the most capable worker can have trouble staying on top of a large workload. A shrewd manager can spot these sort of difficulties before they materialize, or they can anticipate the complication and act more proactively. Delegating tasks to other team members builds a sense of ownership and personal accountability for the matter at hand. This removes all responsibility from one person and encourages everyone involved to work as a team instead of for their own interests.
Again, delegation must be done with tact. Simply dumping menial tasks on a lower ranking employee does not qualify as delegating. Rather, if one person is more skilled at, say, graphic design, it might be a time-saver to entrust the design of deliverables to them. Proper use of delegation is also an endorsement of the skill set of other employees, who may be stronger in a given field than the original project manager.
