The Secret to Delegation: Why Choosing the Right Tasks Saves Time and Builds Stronger Teams

You can watch my video by clicking on the graphic below or read my thoughts beneath it:

What are some top tips on how to delegate? That is a question that was dropped in one of the comments under my video, so I’m happy to answer that right now. One tip that you’d want to follow is to be clear on what it is you would like to delegate.

One way you can do that is to list out all the different tasks that you have and look at what you truly need to do because you have the skill for it. That’s what you are hired to do, or it’s some kind of government regulation, law, or requirement that you are the one to do that.

And then look at the other tasks that still need to get done, but perhaps you don’t have to be the one to do it. It could be somebody else. They don’t have to have all of the skills that you do, and compile what those types of tasks Next, you can sit down with any of your direct reports, and if possible, all of them at the same time, to talk about what their various responsibilities are, and is there a way that they can take on the tasks that you have there.

And you’re looking for a couple of things. One is, who does it make sense for to take over those tasks because it fits into their workflow and what they’re doing, as well as do they have the skills skills for it. Now, you could, of course, very easily just hand off the task to whomever, but a really great way to get buy-in and to have those folks take ownership of the delegated tasks is to have them go through and select, so that way they are making the choice to take that on.

And equally important is they understand why it needs to be done. So it becomes more than just a task that they need to check off the list. They understand how it fits into the overall goal, objective, mission of your team, your department, your company, because when they are clear on that, why it needs to happen, and they’ve been the one to select what that task is, they are far more likely to complete complete it and at a higher level.

So that’s one of the top tips that I have related to delegation is the method of selecting the task and who is going to complete it. If you have other questions related to delegation or anything about time management, how to make your workday more effective and more efficient, make sure that you drop that question in the comments and I will answer it in a future video.

For more practical strategies to delegate effectively, empower your team, and manage your time more efficiently, check out The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.