Before the task delegation, what are some of the things a manager should think of?

As we often hear this in any working environment, “hand over certain to your team, delegate more to team member”, so team members can grow more skillset, and managers can focus on other high value tasks. As a manager, do you think delegation is an easy task? The answer could be yes. But most likely the manager will tell you the answer is no, because later you find you are not satisfied with the quality of the work and you have to redo it, or the work itself takes way too long for others to complete, and you can tackle in a short time.

The intention is good, but results can be frustrating. It is never a wrong idea to delegate to help cultivate the team. But we must keep in mind, preparation work is needed before we can proceed to delegate with confidence that work can be completed by team members timely with quality I expect.

First, know your staff. Manager should always have a good understanding of each member. What type of personality do they own? Are they introverted or extraverted? Are they task driven or detail driven? What is their strength or weakness? Any area in the technical side they have strong knowledge? If you can not answer some of the questions, it is time for the manager to initiate more frequent discussion to find out? It is important to know your team so you can delegate certain projects to certain staff that fit their working style and best utilize their knowledge. This will also be a perfect opportunity to identify a team member’s weakness and push them for change if the team member desires the same change.

Second, know your projects. As a manager, we should always know our projects better than our team members. We should have a clear picture on what resources are needed to complete this task, what type of research needs to be performed, what amount of time needs to be devoted. When you delegate, it is time to switch from a detailed task performer to a task manager. It is expected that the task manager understands the obstacles during each phase and continues to provide guidance at each step. Managers also need to be mindful about task deadlines and rearrange the resources as needed to ensure the deadline is met.

Thirdly, follow up and follow through. When you delegate, you should never lose sight of project progress. We are not suggesting you to not trust your team members. On the contrary, we are suggesting you empower your team members by giving them the directions they might need, especially at the turning point of the project. Schedule routine small meetings and listen to staff members sharing their struggles that are preventing them moving forward. One of the most important items to review in these pre scheduled small meetings is to offer ideas, not specific solutions. Leaving solutioning process to your team, they need to build up their experience and confidence through this. Project can not be halted with no obvious reasons. It is up to the manager to follow up and follow through till the completion.

Delegation is an art. It requires balance between different elements. It requires patience, trust, and control. It certainly takes time to craft a good team and develop trusting relationships among team members. The time spent in this journey is well worth it, as the results are promising.