Some business leaders and managers would rather not delegate tasks for a variety of reasons such as:

1. They believe that explaining the task to someone else would consume more time than doing it.
2. They enjoy finishing tasks on their own.
3. They feel guilty whenever they delegate a task to someone else.
4. They don’t trust the person they’re considering assigning the work to.
5. They think they’re the only ones who have the skills and experience to accomplish the task effectively.

Leaders and managers have other reasons that make them reluctant to assign tasks to others. This reluctance has negative effects such as overwork, fatigue, stunting the growth of your team, and others. Delegating tasks is important to the success of your company.

These are some of the best practices you can implement to delegate tasks effectively.

Determine the Strengths and Objectives of Your Employees

You can’t just assign tasks to employees at random. Identify their strengths and goals as both will determine how productive they’ll be in the role and responsibilities you give them. If you play up to their strengths, they’ll deliver the results you want from them. They’ll also work effectively and will maintain a high level of productivity.

Discuss their goals when you decide to assign tasks. They might want to gain experience in managing a team, learning a new skill, and/or hone a current one. Offer them a role that matches their career objectives. Doing so keeps them motivated and engaged. A motivated workforce provides you with a competitive advantage.

Identify Tasks to Delegate

It’s not possible to delegate every task to your team. You must find certain tasks that suit their skill and experience level. Task delegation requires you to know the strengths and weaknesses of each member of your team. Doing so enables you to hand over work you know they can do well and effectively. When you assign tasks, consider the career goals of the person you’re assigning them to. If these match their objectives, they’ll perform or even exceed the metrics you established.

Define the Results You Want

Before you delegate tasks, you should have a clear definition of the results you want that employee to achieve. Establish key performance indicators and deadlines they should meet. This allows you and the employee to measure the success of the project assigned to them. Explain the objectives of your company clearly. These provide the employee with the big picture and the steps they need to take. Make sure everyone involved is on the same page to avoid miscommunication and missed deadlines.

Training and Resources

When you assign tasks to employees, make sure they have the resources and training to succeed. You can’t send an inexperienced employee to take on a project that can make or break your company. Certain types of work require certifications or additional training. Provide these to employees so they can do their tasks effectively. Discuss a budget with them to determine the amount they need for each phase of a project. Give them time and funding to go through training programs to hone their skills or acquire new ones. This also shows your employees that you care about their career growth.

Give Credit Accordingly

Your employees want recognition for the work they accomplished. Give them the credit they’re due after completing the tasks and projects you gave them. This boosts their morale and keeps them motivated and engaged. Their motivation and engagement are barometers of their satisfaction in your company. They won’t look for other jobs and their enthusiasm creates a good working environment for everyone on the team. Proper credit also encourages employees to accept future tasks or projects you delegate to them. Reward good work with more than just congratulations. Provide incentives such as bonuses, commissions, a promotion, or non-monetary rewards to entice your team to take on tasks.

Show Some Patience

You may have more experience, certifications, and skills than the person you’re delegating a task to. They might take longer accomplishing the work you gave to them. Show some patience when you delegate tasks. It’ll take time for them to reach your level of efficiency and proficiency. This is an opportunity to teach them new skills or take on a bigger role in your team. This allows them to learn more about their job and grow with your organization.

Provide a Level of Autonomy

Micromanagement stunts the growth of employees and may be a cause of disagreements. Assigning a task to an employee means that you trust their skills and experience. Constantly looming over their shoulder and telling them how to do their job disrupts their work. Provide employees with a level of autonomy and authority to do the tasks you delegated. They have their own ways of doing things that allow them to remain productive and effective. Focus on the results they give you rather than micromanaging their process.

Room for Failure

Provide room for failure because this empowers your employees to get creative and experiment. This approach enables them to find different solutions to a problem or alternative ways to get things done. They’ll get to think outside the box and play with various ideas that can help your business grow.

Open Communication Channels

Maintain regular communication with the employees you delegated tasks to. Send emails, talk online, have face-to-face discussions, and other communication platforms which you think are appropriate. This allows you to monitor the progress of the project you assigned. This also enables your employees to ask questions or suggest improvements they can implement.

Share Feedback with Each Other

Provide feedback after the completion of tasks. This enables your employees to learn from their mistakes and find ways to improve the next time you delegate tasks to them. Offer both constructive criticism and praise. Be open to receiving comments as well. This also improves your leadership skills while improving instructions and clearly defining job responsibilities.

These practices allow you to become a better leader and assign tasks more effectively. Let your team concentrate on what they do best and let us do your accounting and bookkeeping for you. We at Robookkeeper are expert and experienced accountants. We offer first-rate outsourced bookkeeping services.