{"id":9128,"date":"2019-08-29T18:21:26","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T18:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/?p=9128"},"modified":"2020-07-03T16:58:24","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T16:58:24","slug":"how-to-delegate-better-and-become-a-great-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jboitnott.com\/zh\/how-to-delegate-better-and-become-a-great-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Delegate Better and Become a Great Leader"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stop me if you\u2019ve heard this one before: You need to\u00a0delegate<\/a>\u00a0if you want to be a more effective leader.<\/p>\n

Delegating to the right people is important to entrepreneurs and business owners for many reasons. Yes, it saves you time that you can then spend on more high-value tasks. However, that\u2019s not the only reason proper delegation is so important in running a business. It also prepares employees for promotion and bigger responsibilities.<\/p>\n

If you want to help your key team members\u00a0reach their goals<\/a>, advance in their careers and provide more value to your company, it\u2019s essential to learn to delegate like a boss.<\/p>\n

1. Understand what\u2019s holding you back from delegating now.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Frequently, micromanaging bosses shy away from delegating due to fear that the job won\u2019t be done \u201cright,\u201d or a belief that it will take longer to explain\u00a0than to simply do it yourself.<\/p>\n

Effective delegation may require a bit more time and attention up front. But, that\u2019s how we all learn new skills — by repetition and practice. Once the employee learns how to handle that task efficiently, the investment pays off in more time and space for you, as well as enhanced productivity for your company.<\/p>\n

Another common reason bosses decline to delegate is that they feel too overwhelmed to sit down and figure out what to delegate. In this case, it\u2019s hard but necessary to force yourself to spend a little bit of \u201ctime capital\u201d now, in order to give yourself more than enough time later.<\/p>\n

2. Know what to delegate and what to keep.<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Deciding\u00a0which tasks to delegate<\/a>\u00a0can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task itself. Think about it in terms of time management. You’re working on letting go of things that are weighing you down. Primarily, you\u2019ll want to identify two different types of tasks:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Tasks that are not within your primary skillset: You could do them, but it would take you longer than someone who has a lot of experience and skill in that area.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Tasks that anyone can do: If anyone could complete these tasks, then they don\u2019t need your special attention.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Think about setting up a website, or publishing new content on your existing site. Sure, you can learn WordPress or any other content management system. And it isn\u2019t really difficult to format, proof and publish a page on the web these days.<\/p>\n

    But how long is it going to take you to get this task done? How long would it take a member of your IT staff who eats, sleeps and breathes website work? Even if it takes you both the same amount of time, you have to consider whose time is worth more.<\/p>\n

    The bottom line is that it costs your company more for you to take care of that blog post than to delegate responsibility to your more experienced and skilled employee. Effective leaders perform this kind of successful delegation over and over again.<\/p>\n

    3. Create a delegation process.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

    To make delegation a seamless part of your workflow, think about creating a business system that supports delegating all kinds of tasks.<\/p>\n

    Start with a\u00a0time management<\/a>\u00a0exercise in which you look at how you spend your days. Make a list of all the specific tasks that need delegating, then think of one or more employees who would be a good fit for those tasks.<\/p>\n

    Another way to create a more systemized approach to delegation is to create a simple template for delegation memos (or email message if that\u2019s more convenient for you). Use designated fields for the following:<\/p>\n