Most people have been there, you have an excellent idea for a project, and you can envision it perfectly. Unfortunately, you also have other tasks that need to be done. You could pass this project and your idea off to another member of your team, but would they understand your vision? Would some of the perfection get lost in translation? Maybe juggling this project in addition to your other work won’t be that bad? Perhaps you’ll be able to give 100% to both priorities?
Unfortunately, this lie comes in multiple forms, and you can find it in every workplace. Despite people knowing this and having teams to help, lack of delegation is a massive problem many managers face. It is common for managers to struggle with the fear of delegating projects to their team, but not doing it comes with substantial consequences!
Nobody Will Grow
When a manager cannot effectively delegate, they are limiting the potential for themselves and the rest of their team. Managers are supposed to think ahead into the future and keep their minds looking for ways to improve. A manager can’t do that when they are micromanaging every project. Because of this short-sighted thinking, managers who struggle with delegation limit themselves to only ever being a manager.
Additionally, a lack of delegation limits the entire team. Managers are not giving subordinates opportunities to grow their skills if they micromanage projects. This results in a team in a stand-still, not growing or learning new skills. Not only is this lousy managing, but it’s also not fair to the team.
Lack of Trust
When a manager can’t delegate responsibilities, it tells the team that they are not responsible enough to complete specific tasks. Even if this is not the case, subliminal messages are hard to ignore. When employees feel like their manager doesn’t trust them, it can create a hostile work environment. Unhappy employees put less time and effort into completing tasks, further corrupting the delegation process.
Additionally, unhappy employees don’t stick around when they feel under-appreciated. A lack of delegation can drive employees away from the company to someone who will provide them with ways to improve.
Can’t Stimulate Creativity
When a manager cannot delegate tasks within their team, they deny the opportunity for innovative ideas. Just because you have an idea for a project doesn’t mean that it is the best. Designating different tasks for your team members lets them contribute. Additionally, delegation is a terrific way to see what areas employees shine in and where they need to grow. Knowing this can help with decision-making in the future.
Overall, fear of imperfections is understandable; everybody has those thoughts. As a manager, your responsibility to yourself and your team is to look past those fears and trust that your team can handle challenging projects. Get to know the team’s strengths and what responsibilities they can handle but to do this, you have to let them make mistakes. Even if they struggle at first, your responsibility as a manager is to support them up and help them learn from mistakes so they can be better prepared for the future.
To do this:
- Delegate small and lower priority tasks to get to know a team member’s strengths.
- Ask staff what kinds of things they would like to work on and try to assign accordingly.
- Try to assign tasks that will challenge but not overwhelm them.
- Make sure directions are clear and all the information they need is available.
- Make yourself available for questions.
- Check in and ask questions to give staff openings to ask for your assistance.
- Praise and guide along the way. Don’t wait for a deadline to see how they have made out!
Learn more with Bigger Brains‘ course, Stronger Together: Delegation and Task Management, to teach you how to delegate effectively.
