How To Delegate To Team Members

As team leader, I know I should be delegating more responsibilities to my team members. I just don’t know where to start. I’m really overloaded though, can you help?

The Team Doc Says…

You’re not alone. Many team leaders and managers struggle with this same issue. Some never move beyond the struggle and end up with way too much work. Congratulations for recognizing delegation is something that is good for both you and your team.

One thing to remember is that people learn best by experience. That’s probably how you learned a lot of what you know and practice on a day-to-day basis. Your team members are no different.

The key to successful delegation is to remember it’s not abdication. You don’t just give someone a task and forget about it. You need to manage the risk, but not micromanage. Here’s what you need to do.

• Start by making a list of those activities that you would consider delegating to a team member.
• Then decide which team member would be the best fit and could be most successful at accomplishing the task.
• Next, meet with each team member you have identified, identify the objective and set out a plan to check in on a realistic basis to see how it’s going.
• Make sure you communicate your expectations for “check ins” and what the team member should do if they run into a road block.

That’s it. Easy, huh? Initially it will take a little more time on your part, but you’ll soon find that it eases the “busyness” of your day and makes your team even more productive.

Here are some additional resources that will help you improve your leadership skills:

• Leadership’s 11 Principles – These principles define the parameters for the leader’s code of conduct. They become a framework through which decisions can be channeled and validated.

• Are You Managing To Lead? – For many people, the terms “manager” and “leader” are synonymous. In the business world, they are often used interchangeably, e.g., team leader, team manager, project manager — you get the idea. And why not? After all, leaders and managers do basically the same thing, right?

• Leadership Skills: 10 Ways to Beef Up – We should all admit to ourselves that there is room for some improvement in the way we lead others. After all, it’s not the sort of skill that is easy to get 100% right all of the time.