Among all that a leader needs to be and do, there is the mission to make his team a team in the fullest meaning of the word and for that, one issue is fundamental – to delegate tasks.
) Why is it important to delegate? When to delegate? How to delegate tasks to employees?
These are frequently asked questions that managers who do not yet have this practice ask.
If you share the same doubts, the time has come to put an end to this matter.
Why delegate tasks?
The importance of delegating tasks to employees, by a leader, is due not only to one, but a set of reasons:
- Decreases dependence – in the absence or impossibility of the leader performs a task, the team has autonomy and knowledge to perform the respective activity;
- Increased productivity – consequence direct from the previous reason, productivity is not tied to the manager. In addition, the team leader also has more time to dedicate himself to tasks in which he is essential, increasing his own productivity;
- Appreciation of the team – the delegation of tasks to team members implies the appreciation of the corresponding labor or human capital;
- Motivation – professionals who are tasked with activities perceive that there is confidence in their ability to produce the expected results, as well as being introduced to new routines, which increases their motivation;
- Recognition – constantly assigning new responsibilities and challenges to employees, is a way of showing recognition for their skills, aptitudes, knowledge, experience and commitment;
- Prepares for succession – delegating tasks is part of the process of preparing for succession, that is, integrates the training of a future manager to replace the current one in case of p promotion;
- Training of new leaders – another reason that stems from the previous one, part of the process of development and growth of a company depends on the formation of new leaders and when delegating, it is possible to assess which ones meet the necessary conditions and characteristics;
- Strategic gain – the leader’s time is very valuable and should be devoted to activities of a more strategic nature for the company.
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Why is there little delegation?
When there is little or no delegation of tasks, the main reason is the lack of trust in human capital and that by in turn, may have one or more of the following justifications:
- Low qualification – the necessary qualification and /or desired of employees is low;
- Wrong hiring – not hiring the right people for the performance of a certain role, implies that she does not have the qualification necessary, or the right profile, or the desirable experience, or even a little bit of all of that, affecting the results and the confidence of what it can offer;
- Administrative rigidity – it is not rare for companies to be very rigid administratively, with inflexible processes, inflexible and without room for maneuver or for errors, making the manager assume the responsibilities and consequently, the related tasks;
- Charging for results – in any company, results are crucial, but in some, charging or even extreme need, prevent attempts or any action that is not 100% safe.
- Leader profile – the previous justifications are based on the environment, but there are times when the lack of trust is inherent to the leader himself, whose profile is to believe that only he is capable of delivering the results that are necessary or because it is his own nature to be centralized.
Naturally, the solutions involve qualifying through training and continuing education the human material, hire better, make administration more flexible and modern, pursue results as a consequence and not an end in itself and have managers with different profiles.
How to delegate tasks?
Once the importance is evident, the reasons why it is not happening, the time has come to know how to effectively delegate tasks to employees.
It is necessary to keep in mind that it is there needs to be an enabling environment, that is, if, for example, the manager of a certain area is centralizing, the chances of it happening properly in your department are small. If in another, the qualification is low, it is necessary to provide a professional improvement, as well as to start hiring better.
1. Develop leadership
It all starts with the main person responsible, who are the leaders (supervisors, sub-managers, managers, directors) and the top management of the organization, becoming more easy and organic when it is part of the corporate culture.
Developing leadership over work teams means that the leader has a flexible and versatile profile, able to play his role according to the team, with the requirements, situations and company objectives, but with particular emphasis on those who are called facilitating leaders and who, among other things, prepare, guide and delegate powers to the most talented, the most committed, the most responsible , as well as presenting greater potential to be developed.
2. Knowledge of the team
Knowing the team or team means having a deep knowledge of the skills and aptitudes that each employee has.
By the way, it is only in this way that the company is also able to carry out an authentic talent management, with known benefits for all involved.
It is through this means that the manager is able to assign responsibilities to the most indicated , improve those with the greatest potential, encourage the most promising, propose fair and achievable goals, as well as identify possible future leaders.
But regardless of how well he fulfills his role as a leader, it is vital that Human Resources actively act using tools and their attributions to manage human capital in the best way.
3. Appropriate guidance and training
No matter how capable a team is supposed to be, delegates should receive guidance and training.
The first means receiving instructions on how to proceed, possible difficulties, paths and alternatives, tips and advice. The second is to invest in training, improvement, recycling, continuing education and that only produces even better results.
It is not possible to expect good results in the performance of any task, if there is no provision before of a minimum qualification and information that can make the difference between success and failure.
This is the responsibility of the manager and the company to provide, except in the aspects that constitute hard and soft skills of the position they occupy .
4. Follow up
The follow up or monitoring of tasks is another requirement for the success of task delegations.
Determining steps and how they are occurring is essential so that any corrections and route changes can be made before obtaining the final result.
It is also important to ensure that deadlines are met, that all the guidelines have been understood, that the objectives will be achieved.
Depending on both the extent of the task and its importance, it is highly recommended to use a tool for monitoring, such as Trello or Runrun . There are many good alternatives, each with characteristics that are more suitable for a type of situation.
Just stop supervising, when, over time, the results are as expected, deadlines are met and there is no rework .
5. Invest in communication
Effective business communication is essential for all areas and for all purposes of a company and is no different in the process of delegating tasks.
Ensuring clear, noiseless, agile and permanent communication is a fundamental requirement.
It is also through quality communication, that the team is well known, its needs, your qualities and expectations.
Above all, keep in mind that communication is a two-way street and, therefore, it is crucial to give feedback throughout the process, as in follow-up.
6. Know how to listen
Although listening – and not just listening – is part of communication, here this act takes on a broader dimension.
It is not just about being attentive to everything that the delegate tells you, the doubts he expresses, the difficulties he encounters, but also the suggestions he gives you.
Being a leader is not knowing everything and always impose the same ways of doing things.
There can be – and often are – different ways to achieve the results.
Except when an operational procedure standard (POP) is absolutely necessary or even as a matter of law requires, be open to the team to do the delegated tasks in the way it deems appropriate.
7. Gradually institute
Especially if it’s something new in the company, don’t start a big and important task right away.
Start gradually and gradually increase both the complexity and the level of responsibility.
It is important to have this gradation, because the other requirements must also be incorporated.
Conclusion
Delegating tasks to employees not only relieves the manager and allows him to act in what he is most expensive, but also produces several other benefits.
