Delegation is one of the most important management skills. There are many benefits to delegating tasks but there are also other considerations when planning to delegate a task. Delegation can be a win-win for you and your team if done correctly.

• Frees up time for you to spend on more important tasks
• Builds a team both through morale and performance
• Decisions will be taken nearer to the front-line, these decisions will often be faster and better as they are made by people dealing directly with them.
• Develops people in the team and builds their skills to take on more responsibility moving forward

"I do the best job here, so i'll do it myself"

Really? This is one of the most common reasons for not delegating; we feel we are the only ones who can do it to the right standard. However have you ever tried different ways of doing it? People can learn how to match your exact standards, but they can also suggest better ways of doing something which could improve things.

"It's just so much quicker to do it myself"

Potentially yes to start with but this means you will always do it and never free that time up. It may take a bit more of your time up initially, but then moving forward that time will be free for you.

"They'll resent being asked and think that i should do it myself"

This is a big assumption to make. Being clear with the individual as to why you are delegating the task should help you overcome this fear.

"Delegation is risky! What if they make a mistake?"

It's only risky if you have not planned how you will delegate the job, who is the best person to take it on and what level of support they will require. It is pointless to worry about what could happen and instead focus on how you can help them achieve the required outcome.

"I like doing that job myself"

Sometimes we simply don't delegate because we like doing something. However you have to look at your priorities and ask yourself is this really the best use of my time.

"My team are overloaded themselves - i can't ask them"

Fair enough, but why? Are they managing their time effectively, do they need some guidance? Who is overloading them, is it you? Or is it someone else? Are more resources required? Do you need to look at who does what in the team?

These are all common reactions to avoiding delegation. The belief that you can do something better, faster and with fewer mistakes can lead to a vicious cycle of too little time and too much to do.

• You will feel stressed/overloaded
• People in the team don't learn or develop new skills
• If you are NOT there, things don't get done
• People in the team won't feel trusted, valued or sometimes even capable

Remember delegation is NOT abdication!

When you delegate to someone you have given them responsibility, but stay in the information loop and offer them support. Abdicating is giving someone responsibility and then disappearing, only to reappear at the end and complain if it's done wrong.