The art of delegation: Empowering your team

As leaders we often find ourselves with an ever growing list of tasks to achieve. When the workload intensifies delegation can seem like a simple solution to get some time back. However, while task distribution is a part of delegation, without empowerment your team will be held back from achieving their best. 

True delegation is about empowering the team. It’s about equipping them with the clarity, resources and trust they need to take ownership and deliver key results. It’s about fostering development, building collective capacity, uniting the team towards a shared goal and amplifying their potential. 

This week, we’ll explore the art of delegation as a powerful tool for growth, both for the leader and for the team as a whole. We’ll move beyond the basic concept to assigning task to understand how thoughtful delegation can truly empower and elevate those around us. 

The benefits of empowered delegation

Considering how we delegate unlocks a wealth of advantages for both the leader and crucially the team:

• Elevates leadership focus: By strategically entrusting tasks to capable team members, leaders free up their time and mental resources to concentrate on their higher level responsibilities. This could include strategic planning, innovation, building relationships internal or externally, or securing additional revenue, activities that could have a greater impact on the direction of the organisation. 
• Fosters team growth: Effective delegation provides opportunities for team members to expand their skill set, take on new challenges, and gain practical experience. This not only contributes to their individual continuous professional development but the overall capacity and resilience of the team. 
• Boost efficiency and productivity: Every team have diverse talents and perspective. Leaders who delegate effectively leverage these varied skills, assigning tasks to those best suited to handle them. This often leads to higher quality work, faster turnaround times, increased productivity which can also lead to higher morale as the work aligns with workers individual strengths. 
• Increased engagement and motivation: When team members are given autonomy and responsibility it signals to them that their leaders trust and value them. This fosters a greater sense of ownership and engagement which boost motivation and loyalty.

Key strategies for empowered delegation

Here are some actionable strategies to empower your team as you delegate to them:

• Provide clear instructions and contextual information: Don’t just hand over the task. Explain the why behind it and how the task fits into the organisations development. Giving the team member some insight into the ‘bigger picture’ will not only motivate but also provide clarity. Any constraints that need to be followed must be passed on with clarity to set them up for success.
• Define the desired outcome and delegate sufficient authority: Be specific on what the final result looks like, the team member should be clear on when to end the project. More importantly they will need the authority to complete the task effectively. Depending on the task this could include authorities to release resources, budget, collaborate with others, make contact with suppliers or contractors, etc. Any limits to authority such as budget limits, or policies that need to be followed for procurement should be communicated clearly to avoid confusion. 
• Check for understanding and offer ongoing support: After delegating ensure that the team understands the task and their new authorities. Be in a position to give them ongoing support but resist any temptation to make decisions for them. 
• Provide regular feedback and guidance: Delegation isn’t a set it and forget it process. Throughout the lifecycle of the project check in with your team to ensure that they still have everything they need. This is a prime opportunity to give coaching, and if this forms part of wider team check-ins it can prompt peer-mentoring from others. 
• Review results, recognise contributions and learn from experience: After the task is completed it’s important to recognise the contributions that the team have made, including the lessons learned along the way. If things didn’t go to plan have a deep dive into the work that has taken place and decisions made along the way discussing what could be done differently next time.  

Common Pitfalls to avoid when delegating

While the benefits of delegating are well known to be significant, it is a skill that requires conscious effort from the leader, often requiring careful control of our internal emotions. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid ensuring your efforts empower your team and deliver the desired results:

• Micromanagement: One of the biggest hurdles for leaders (including myself at times) is the emotional response when you give up control over the outcome. This can manifest as micromanagement, where you constantly check in, dictate how each step should be completed, and ultimately fail to give the team members space to take ownership of the work. Remember delegation is about trusting others, resist the urge to hover and get into details about the work. Just because you would have used a different method doesn’t mean the methods of the team are wrong.
• Thinking I can do it faster myself: It is common that you might believe that you are the only one who can do a task to the required standard or complete it faster than teaching someone else to complete it. Often this is driven by the desire for immediate results, or the feeling that there is too much to get done. However, falling into this trap often hinders team development and the scalability of your organisation. While it may be quicker short term, longer term efficiency is achieved by having a capable team that can take on any challenge, time spent developing the team pays back in the long term. 
• Insufficient trust: If you have a lack of trust in your team members abilities you will likely hesitate to delegate effectively and almost certainly not empower the team. While it’s important to assess skills and only delegate tasks the team members can complete, failing to delegate due to concerns will result in the team feeling undervalued. Ensuring the team members understand the goals, including bigger picture or strategic priorities is crucial. Providing them with access to the required information and ample support can help them to develop their skills. Strategically deciding on the level of authority can also serve to empower team members while they are learning how to make effective risk based decisions. 
• Delegating without the necessary preparation: Setting someone up for failure is the opposite of empowerment, but this is often manifested in unskilled leaders who are told to delegate. Giving a task without the proper information, context, and authority required to see it through will guarantee failure. Ensuring that the team member understands goals, has the background information needed and access to resources will mitigate this problem. 
• Neglecting support and feedback: After delegating do not abandon the task, you as the leader still have a part to play in ensuring success. Failing to provide support, answer questions and offer constructive feedback is a sign of underdeveloped delegation skills. Check in with your team so you can give timely feedback and updates on any changes so the task stays on track.

Tip for the week

This week, take a close look at your current responsibilities, whether you lead a team or contribute to projects. Identify at least one task that could realistically be shared with another person – a team member, colleague, or even someone you are mentoring.

Now apply the tips we’ve discussed to this task: 

• Clarity: Define clearly what the task is, outline desired and undesirable outcomes, as well as define the finish state. Ensure that it’s importance is clear. 
• Authority: Determine which aspects of the task can and should be delegated, including decision making power and resources.
• Support: Think about the level of support and guidance the person may need.
• Timeline: Establish a realistic timeline for completion and what check-in points are appropriate for feedback.

If you are currently leading a team, you should delegate this to a suitable team member(s). Manage the timeline to give them space to make decisions and give constructive feedback along the way. 

If you are an aspiring leader, you may need to discuss delegation with the relevant person such as your supervisor or project manager to set up delegations of authority and ensure there are suitable arrangements. Outlining how you would manage the completion and possibilities of taking on more responsibility will demonstrate your commitment to growth and initiative. 

Regardless of your current role, this week’s challenge is to prompt you to think about how you implement the principles of delegating to empower your team. Observe the impact of empowering others and reflect on your own experiences. Do not be too harsh on yourself if you struggle at first this is a difficult skill to master. 

Next week will be looking in detail at the skill of providing constructive feedback, rewarding and recognising good work and dealing with performance problems.