• HAPPENINGS
    • BUSINESS
    • GOVERNANCE
    • INNOVATIONS
    • LIFESTYLE
  • INTERVIEWS
    • PERSONALITY
    • BUSINESS
    • GOVERNANCE
    • LIFESTYLE
  • ARTICLES
    • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
    • LEADERSHIP
    • MANAGEMENT
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • LIFESTYLE
  • TV
    • SCHEDULE
    • EVENTS
    • Lifestyle
    • PPG
    • Street Code
    • TWFI
    • MOTIVATIONS
    • LIVE STREAM
  • MAGAZINE
  • PODCASTS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • FEATURES
  • WHAT’S WHERE?
    • EVENTS
    • PRODUCTS
    • SERVICES
    • PLACES
    • LIFESTYLE
TALKE
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Events
  • Advertise with Us
TALKE

Lagos, Nigeria

  • HAPPENINGS
    • BUSINESS
      Google Threatens to Shut Down in Australia over Media Bill

      Google Threatens to Shut Down in Australia over Media Bill

      South Africa's Rand Weakens as US Stimulus Rally Fades

      South Africa's Rand Weakens as US Stimulus Rally Fades

      Bitcoin Falls 30% Off its Record Value

      Bitcoin Falls 30% Off its Record Value

      Why MSMEs should not be blamed for Loan Defaults - LLCI tells CBN

      Why MSMEs should not be blamed for Loan Defaults - LLCI tells CBN

    • GOVERNANCE
      Ekiti Commissions the World's Largest Snail Farm

      Ekiti Commissions the World's Largest Snail Farm

      Amazon Advocates for Access to Vaccine

      Amazon Advocates for Access to Vaccine

      Market Increase as Biden Becomes President

      Market Increase as Biden Becomes President

      Journalists procure Bulletproof Vests and Gas Masks as they Prepare for Inauguration

      Journalists procure Bulletproof Vests and Gas Masks as they Prepare for Inauguration

    • INNOVATIONS
      Google Threatens to Shut Down in Australia over Media Bill

      Google Threatens to Shut Down in Australia over Media Bill

      The Man who may Possess Silicon

      The Man who may Possess Silicon

      Fallout of Global Computer Chip Shortage: German Plant to Close Down

      Fallout of Global Computer Chip Shortage: German Plant to Close Down

      Reply Partners with Amazon to Accelerate Digital Space

      Reply Partners with Amazon to Accelerate Digital Space

    • LIFESTYLE
      344-Year-Old Tortoise Dies In Ogbomoso

      344-Year-Old Tortoise Dies In Ogbomoso

      FG’s zero-tolerance on maternal mortality has paid off, says Aisha Buhari

      FG’s zero-tolerance on maternal mortality has paid off, says Aisha Buhari

      Mugabe died of cancer, says Zimbabwe media

      Mugabe died of cancer, says Zimbabwe media

      Trial of Sowore runs against progressive philosophy, says Shehu Sani

      Trial of Sowore runs against progressive philosophy, says Shehu Sani

  • INTERVIEWS
    • PERSONALITY
    • BUSINESS
      How to Find Your Passion (If Your Passion Isn't Your Product!)

      How to Find Your Passion (If Your Passion Isn't Your Product!)

      Government needs to patronise insurance brokers – Shoderu

      Government needs to patronise insurance brokers – Shoderu

      How Do Social Entrepreneurs Know They Are Doing Good?

      How Do Social Entrepreneurs Know They Are Doing Good?

      We are bringing ‘King of Corporate Governance’to meet Nigeria’s CEOs – Ini Onuk

      We are bringing ‘King of Corporate Governance’to meet Nigeria’s CEOs – Ini Onuk

    • GOVERNANCE
    • LIFESTYLE
  • ARTICLES
    • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
      Why We Should Embrace the Evolution of Communication

      Why We Should Embrace the Evolution of Communication

      3 Keys to Future-Proofing Your Business

      3 Keys to Future-Proofing Your Business

      5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Future of Work

      5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Future of Work

      How to Make a New Name in an Old Industry

      How to Make a New Name in an Old Industry

    • LEADERSHIP
      To Be a Great Leader, Be a Great Talent Manager

      To Be a Great Leader, Be a Great Talent Manager

      Becoming a Great Leader Takes the Same Effort As Building a Great Business

      Becoming a Great Leader Takes the Same Effort As Building a Great Business

      5 Free Ways to Invest in Your Startup's Culture

      5 Free Ways to Invest in Your Startup's Culture

      Why Your Employees Want You to Delegate

      Why Your Employees Want You to Delegate

    • MANAGEMENT
      How to recognise and turn around a dysfunctional team

      How to recognise and turn around a dysfunctional team

      Everyone Is Talking About the Future of Work. Here Are 4 Ways to Take Your Company Into the Future Now.

      Everyone Is Talking About the Future of Work. Here Are 4 Ways to Take Your Company Into the Future Now.

      5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Future of Work

      5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for the Future of Work

      4 Must-Know Strategies for Selling Efficiently to Distributors

      4 Must-Know Strategies for Selling Efficiently to Distributors

    • PERSONAL FINANCE
      New Year's Resolutions: Financial Goals

      New Year's Resolutions: Financial Goals

      How to Turn Your Finances Around

      How to Turn Your Finances Around

      Rich Mindset vs. Poor Mindset

      Rich Mindset vs. Poor Mindset

      4 Important Steps towards Securing Your Financial Future

      4 Important Steps towards Securing Your Financial Future

    • PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
      Hold Yourself Accountable: Why It Matters & How to Do It

      Hold Yourself Accountable: Why It Matters & How to Do It

      Operation You: Taking Personal Responsibility

      Operation You: Taking Personal Responsibility

      5 Aspects of Personal Development

      5 Aspects of Personal Development

      4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals

      4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals

    • LIFESTYLE
      Discover What Your Sleeping Position Says About You

      Discover What Your Sleeping Position Says About You

      6 Benefits Of Drinking Hot Water

      6 Benefits Of Drinking Hot Water

      Here’s Why Your Child Should Practice Meditation

      Here’s Why Your Child Should Practice Meditation

      Want to Better Remember What You Learn? Recent Research Says Try 10 Minutes of Mindfulness Beforehand

      Want to Better Remember What You Learn? Recent Research Says Try 10 Minutes of Mindfulness Beforehand

  • TV
    • SCHEDULE
    • EVENTS
    • Lifestyle
    • PPG
    • Street Code
    • TWFI
    • MOTIVATIONS
    • LIVE STREAM
  • MAGAZINE
  • PODCASTS
    • INTERVIEWS
      HEALTH INFERTILITY ONE

      HEALTH INFERTILITY ONE

      POET

      POET

      BERIOLA

      BERIOLA

      AJOMALE AGED

      AJOMALE AGED

    • FEATURES
  • WHAT’S WHERE?
    • EVENTS
      International Business Conference 2016

      International Business Conference 2016

    • PRODUCTS
    • SERVICES
      DHL Nigeria | Express

      DHL Nigeria | Express

    • PLACES
      DHL Nigeria | Express

      DHL Nigeria | Express

    • LIFESTYLE
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
Why Your Employees Want You to Delegate Articles
Home
Articles
Leadership

Why Your Employees Want You to Delegate

December 27th, 2019 Avatar TALKE.ng Articles, Leadership 0 comments 52

The early days of entrepreneurship are both heady and exhausting: late nights, rising before the birds, fueling your body with too much caffeine. Once your business is running and you’ve hired even a small team, it’s time to step into the next phase. Now you need to lead.

Leadership is more than assigning tasks; it’s a way to elevate your impact. According to management consultant and Harvard Business Review contributor Jesse Sostrin, “you need to be more essential and less involved.” Leaders have to learn how to delegate – and how to do it well. It’s the only way to step out of the day-to-day workflow and think more strategically.

Rela

Yet, handing over responsibilities is easier said than done. Maybe you’re protective of your work, you love performing a certain task, or you worry about your team’s capabilities. But if you want to grow your business, delegation is essential. And according to Sostrin, there’s a simple way to tell whether you’re holding the reins too tightly. Ask yourself, “If I had to take an unexpected week off work, would key projects and goals advance without me?”

In the early days of building my company, JotForm, I did it all. From coding to customer support, I touched every part of the business. Once I hired people to share the workload, I could focus on improving the product and developing strategies that still serve our 5.2 million users. I’ve also taken a three-month paternity leave and I regularly go on extended vacations. Ultimately, I learned that delegation is an art, and the result is a stronger, less stressful work environment and a healthier company overall.

Delegation is empowering

“From a young age, I learned to focus on the things I was good at and delegate to others what I was not good at. That’s how Virgin is run. Fantastic people throughout the Virgin Group run our businesses, allowing me to think creatively and strategically.” — Sir Richard Branson

On the surface, we delegate simply to manage an otherwise-impossible workload. But both leaders and employees benefit from the process. Most employees feel more engaged as they take on deeper responsibilities. They feel invested and empowered, and that’s good for everyone. Because “employee engagement” has become such a common business phrase, it’s worth untangling exactly what it means.

Digital media consultant John Boitnott writes that engaged employees demonstrate four observable traits and behaviors:

  • A better understanding of the company’s long-term goals and how their work advances those goals
  • A personal belief in the company and a commitment to its mission
  • More harmonious relationships with fellow team members
  • A commitment to keeping their skills sharp and learning about industry developments

Challenging employees with opportunities to learn and grow ensures they’re fully in the game. And it’s exciting to see someone knock a project out of the park. In fact, I often find that staff deliver better results and improve the underlying process when we hand over the keys and let them drive.

Know how to maximize your time

Before you can entrust your staff with new challenges, you need to decide what you shouldn’t be doing. A task is ready for delegation when:

1. Someone else can do it better

After 13 years in business, there’s always someone in our company with more niche or technical skills than me – and that’s fantastic. It means we’re hiring the right people, and they’re sharing that specialized knowledge across the team.

2. You can save precious time and energy

It’s so easy to fall down a day-long rabbit hole of calls, emails, meetings, and busywork. Instead, use your energy to tackle the work that only you can do. Hint: it probably hinges on people and strategy.

3. It’s wildly time-consuming

As a leader, you shouldn’t do work that doesn’t require your unique expertise. Others can conduct research, crunch data, prepare reports, and lay the foundation for big-picture thinking. Remember that you can always pick up a project partway through, once someone else has tilled the soil.

4. You have bigger priorities

There’s never enough time in the day, and too many competing priorities. When you’re facing multiple deadlines, choose the highest-impact option. Focus there and assign the other project to someone you trust.

Delegation can feel uncomfortable even when you know it’s in everyone’s best interest, so start small. For example, if you want to re-assign an HR process, set a time to walk your employees through it. Once they start to manage it, create a calendar reminder to review their work every few days, or at an interval that works for you. Over time, you can check in less frequently – to the point where they only come to you with questions.

I started by hiring just one customer support employee. I trained them to take over all the requests, then I slowly built a full support team. Eventually, we hired someone to manage that team. We repeated the process with each part of the business, until almost every function was systemized and running smoothly without my input. I’m still there, of course, for questions, feedback, but I’m free to steer the ship. 

How to delegate like a champ

Effective delegation demands context. You need to explain why you’re reassigning a project, and how that project fits into the company’s mission. Next, tell the employee why they’re the right one for the job. In my experience, this dramatically increases the chances that they’ll knock your socks off.

But wait – don’t stop there. Just as you wouldn’t pass the ball and walk off the court, successful delegators measure results and offer feedback. They provide a safety net, of sorts, and check in with their teams on a regular basis. Whether you set a recurring meeting or create an open-door policy, be sure that employees feel supported at all times.

Resisting the urge to micromanage is equally essential. The best way to avoid it? Assign the task, then let your employee figure out how to get it done – other than any necessary training or systemized processes, of course.

Give them the keys, explain the destination, and then let them determine the best route. This approach ensures that they feel challenged and valued, instead of having a backseat driver on the journey. Also, don’t sweat the specifics of a job description. If someone has the right stuff, give them a chance.

Finally, involve your employees in critical decisions. This might include financial discussions, strategy development, hiring, or team formation. Opening up the inner workings of the business might make you feel vulnerable, but transparency almost always pays off – and your staff will feel respected in the process.

culled from: entrepreneur.com
(Visited 55 times, 1 visits today)
Previous
Next
Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagram

Related:

  • The Future of Leadership DevelopmentThe Future of Leadership Development
  • Judo Strategy: The Competitive Dynamics of Internet TimeJudo Strategy: The Competitive Dynamics of Internet Time
  • 4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals
  • 101 Reasons Being an Entrepreneur Rocks101 Reasons Being an Entrepreneur Rocks
  • Tags
  • Leadership
  • Why Your Employees Want You to Delegate
Avatar

TALKE.ng

TALKE is focused on Business & Lifestyle.

Follow Us

Also Worth Reading…

START A BUSINESS AT THE PERFECT AGE

What Makes Your Suppliers the Best?

Make Time for Personal Renewal—4 Strategies for the New Year

Couples Who Drink Together, Stay Together (Says Science)

61% of Your Customers May Hate Your IVR

Recent Comments

  • Simpliv on Failure of Stewardship Was at the Heart of Wounded Warrior Project Firings
  • Sumit Malhotra on 5 Very best Do Business From Home Work
  • Taiwo Olatunde on DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND YOUR BUSINESS – Amusat Kolawole (1 of 3)
  • Eran Salu on Why Every Business Needs A Consultant
  • misti on Elevating Leadership: Showing a Heart of Gold and a Spine of Steel
  • HAPPENINGS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • ARTICLES
  • TV
  • MAGAZINE
  • PODCASTS
  • WHAT’S WHERE?
  • Back to top

Subscription

Subscribe to get latest updates.
© 2015 - 2021 EXECUTIVE REPUBLIC LIMITED All rights reserved
Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Adverts | Events

Follow Us

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagram