Congratulations, you’re now a manager! But as soon as you’ve got the title in hand, a well-known trap awaits: wanting to do everything yourself. It’s a common and human reflex, especially when you want to do things right. However, this reflex can quickly become a burden. Delegating without guilt is not a weakness, it’s a key skill. And it’s the one that will make the difference between an overwhelmed manager… and a high-performing leader, capable of growing their team while staying on course.
So you must learn to… delegate.
Phew…
This is a word that can sometimes be scary, because it requires you to trust other members of your team with important tasks.
It’s in those moments that the following quote takes on its full meaning:
“The best manager is the one who knows how to find the talents to get things done, and who also knows how to restrain himself from interfering while they do it.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Start by getting to know your team members
The first step before starting to delegate is to understand the strengths and aspirations of your team members so you can properly identify the types of responsibilities that can be delegated, and to whom.
This is done through conversations and by asking questions like:
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What types of responsibilities or projects would you like to take on in the medium or long term in your career?
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Are there any skills you’d like to develop or strengthen to move forward in your career?
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When you envision your future, what type of role or position would you like to have in the organization (or elsewhere)?
To avoid answers like “I don’t know,” it might be helpful to let people know these three questions will be asked, and encourage them to reflect on them beforehand.
What delegation brings to your team
One of your goals when delegating tasks is to offer your employees an opportunity to grow, develop new skills, gain autonomy, and build experience to prepare for greater responsibilities.
Another goal is to boost employee motivation and engagement. When you give additional responsibilities to team members, you demonstrate trust and recognition, which strengthens their commitment and sense of belonging.
The successes they achieve while carrying out these new tasks will increase their confidence and motivation.
By empowering all employees through delegated tasks, the team becomes more agile, more effective, and better prepared to deal with the unexpected.
But for you, the primary reason to learn to delegate is to free up time for strategic tasks. By delegating operational responsibilities, you can focus on vision, planning, innovation, and high-value projects.
Delegating effectively will also reduce the pressure on your shoulders and lower the risk of burnout, as the workload is more evenly distributed among the team. This allows you to preserve your energy and maintain your effectiveness.
Task Classification
The second step is to create a list of your tasks and responsibilities in your new role. Then, you’ll need to use a classification tool to identify the tasks that you must do yourself—those that bring high added value to the organization.
This tool will also help highlight important tasks necessary for success that don’t require your specific skills. A good classification tool is the Eisenhower Matrix.
For those unfamiliar with the Eisenhower Matrix, here’s an example with an explanation of each quadrant:
The tasks that must remain under your responsibility are the important ones. You should prioritize the important and urgent ones, but your comfort zone is when this quadrant is almost empty, allowing you to work in the planning zone (important but not urgent). The goal is to plan and complete these tasks before they shift into the urgent and important category.
If your urgent and important zone is too full, it’s crucial to sit down with your boss to ask whether some tasks can be postponed or moved to another quadrant. Everything on the left side of the matrix should be either delegated (urgent but not important) or eliminated (neither urgent nor important).
Delegate to reduce workload and maximize efficiency
As mentioned earlier, the leader must transfer responsibilities effectively to the team and ensure employees have the skills and tools needed to succeed in their new tasks.
Although the task is given to someone else, the responsibility still lies with the manager. Therefore, you must provide more frequent support and follow-ups at the beginning, which can be spaced out as the employee gains control over the process and makes few or no execution errors.
The follow-up process must be explained to employees to avoid giving the impression of micromanagement. Furthermore, if you delegate a task and the person in charge meets deadlines and quality standards, give them the flexibility to complete the task in their own way.
Foster autonomy through accountability
When the employee comes to you with suggestions, your first step should be to ask them what they think the right course of action is. This encourages creativity and sends a clear message: the path to achieving the end goal belongs to them.
If you notice that their plan isn’t adequate, use open-ended questions to prompt reflection instead of giving them the answers. This is the best way to truly transfer the task and build their confidence. Plus, it gives you peace of mind, knowing the task is in good hands.
Effective delegation distributes the workload, allowing goals to be reached faster and with higher quality. Each member can focus on what they do best, improving overall performance, collaboration, and mutual trust. These elements promote stronger team cohesion.
Identify and develop emerging talents
Delegation also helps the manager discover rising stars within the team and identify their successors. These are individuals who, over time, can take on important tasks that previously fell under the manager’s responsibility.
The best way to earn a promotion is to reassure your superiors by minimizing the impact of your departure from the team. If knowledge isn’t transferred to one or more employees who can take over, leadership will need to look externally—which can take time and delay your promotion.
Make yourself replaceable to move forward
Although it may seem ironic to those who fear losing their position, your goal as a manager should be to eliminate your own role by building a self-managed team.
This will demonstrate your effectiveness and make it easy for your superiors to assign you new challenges. Typically, companies do not let go of their effective employees.
Master the art of delegation for optimal balance
In summary, becoming an expert in delegation will help you regain a sense of balance at work and give you the opportunity to focus on exciting projects while ensuring that all tasks under your responsibility are completed.
Discover the 5 Must-Ask Questions for Happy Teams
Do you want to better understand what motivates your team members and could help you create a happy team? My practical guide, 5 Must-Ask Questions for Happy Teams, is designed to provide you with simple and effective tools to:
- Create a climate of trust within your team
- Identify the true needs and aspirations of your employees
- Encourage meaningful conversations that foster collaboration
- Boost engagement and collective performance
- Anticipate and resolve challenges before they become obstacles
Carl-Michael Tessier M. Sc., MBA
Coach in high-performance team development and tailor-made support
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