The Art of Delegation: Without Being a Micromanager
You are in your leadership role because you excel. You set high standards for yourself and for others. And there’s not a challenge you’ve seen that you can’t tackle with style and grace - right? But…you can’t do it all yourself! Delegation is a crucial skill for every healthy leader to master for success. At Nova Leadership, we’re constantly working with leaders on how to delegate more effectively. Working through others is essential, especially as your career progresses and you need to rely on your team's skills, talents, and time to make the best use of yours!
You’ve probably heard the saying: "What got you here won’t get you there." As you advance in your career, the importance of clear and effective delegation increases. Delegation allows you to focus on tasks that only you can do, and that means trusting your team with responsibilities that allow them to grow and contribute.
Effective Delegation
Be Clear on Objectives: When you delegate, state the goals clearly. And - a challenge for those of us with exacting standards: focus on what needs to be done versus how it is accomplished. Let your team show off their unique skills and problem-solving abilities.
Embrace Different Approaches: Understand that people may not complete tasks exactly as you would, and that's okay. Diverse perspectives and methods can lead to innovative solutions and better results. In fact, Scientific American once published that “...being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, more diligent, and harder-working…” - isn’t that what you want from your team?
Allow for Failure: Use “mistakes” as learning opportunities. Failure is part of the learning process, and how you handle it can impact your team's development and morale. Highlight what you / the team learned when things took a different path, and what you’ll do differently next time. Teach, don’t penalize, after delegation.
Practice Self-Reflection: What could you do to be a more effective delegator? Have you been clear on the ask? Did you provide the necessary context? Was there information that you may have forgotten to share that could have impacted the result?
Finally - when delegating: Don't Take It Back: Once you delegate a task, don’t take it back. Doing so can be incredibly demoralizing to your team, showing a lack of trust and undermining their confidence.
The Benefits of Effective Delegation
Effective delegation is more than just marking something off your to-do list. Development Dimensions International (DDI) says it best, “Leaders who know how to delegate effectively see beyond just getting a task done. They are empowering others to grow, learn, and do their very best work.” The study by DDI goes on to say leaders who delegate effectively see various positive outcomes:
Creativity and Innovation: Team members are 3.9 times more likely to produce innovative and creative outcomes.
Initiative: Team members are 4.2 times more likely to go beyond their job descriptions.
High Standards: Teams with effective delegation are 1.9 times more likely to have high-performance standards.
Employees typically feel more satisfied in their roles when they have more authority, making them less likely to leave. A workplace that encourages autonomy and growth can help employees advance in their careers and find greater satisfaction.
Autonomy and Satisfaction
At Nova Leadership, we know that having autonomy without micromanagement is a must for effective delegation. When leaders delegate effectively, they create an environment where team members feel trusted and valued.
Northwest Executive Education underscores the importance of this: “Delegating effectively saves time, helps you as a leader and your team develop as professionals, prepares you to manage larger teams, and inspires employees and team members to perform better.”
Executive Leadership Training
Mastering delegation is crucial for any leader aiming for long-term success. Here are the key takeaways to delegate effectively without micromanaging:
Be clear on objectives
Trust your team
Embrace diverse approaches
Use failures as learning opportunities
Practice self-reflection
This approach lightens your workload and empowers your team to excel and grow. At Nova Leadership, we help you develop the skills needed to delegate effectively and lead with confidence. If you want more support as a leader, reach out to learn more about our coaching practice and how we can enhance your leadership journey.