What have you delegated lately?

As a leader, you can’t do it all and you shouldn’t want to. What have you delegated lately?

If the idea of delegating stresses you out a bit, you’re not alone. It can be hard to give up responsibility to someone else. What if they don’t do it right? Or what if they don’t do it at all? I hear you. But here’s the thing: when you don’t delegate, you end up burnt out and your team ends up bored. I’m willing to bet that your team has some unique talents and passions that make them better equipped to take on some of the work than even you are! And that’s a great thing. So how do you go about delegating, and what are the important things to consider?

1. Make a list of tasks you can delegate: I understand that not everything can be done by someone else. But what can? Make a list of the things someone else could take off your plate.
2. Learn your team’s strengths: Make sure you know your team well enough to know what is a good fit for each of them. What are they good at? What do they love doing? And how do the items on your list fit into those categories?
3. Communicate clearly: Set clear expectations that everyone knows what is expected.
4. Take a deep breath: Whenever someone starts something new, there will be hiccups. Know that it may take time to get into the swing of things.
5. Give feedback and praise: Don’t forget to thank your team for their hard work and praise them for their success. See something that could be changed? Let them know that, too.

I know delegating can be tricky. It doesn’t always feel natural. And when you have a take-charge, get-it-down personality, sometimes it’s much easier in the moment to just do it yourself. But I promise you, if you take the slow (and sometimes painful) steps towards delegating now, your business will thank you in the long run!