Alison Craig considers the art of delegation and its impact on mental health

In this month’s Leadership Matters, Alison Craig, Director of Alison Craig Coaching, considers the art of delegation and its impact on mental health

Every manager feels under time pressure.

When you analyse where you’re spending YOUR time, how much of it is spent:

• on tasks that should be dealt with by someone else?
• answering questions that team members should know the answer to?
• working ‘in’ rather than ‘on’ your business?

To Don’t List

How is your “To Don’t” list looking this week?  What needs to move from your ‘To Do List’ to your ‘To Don’t List’?

Where should those items go?  Should they be delegated to someone else?  Should they be permanently deleted because they don’t add any value?

To gain back time:

• identify the tasks that ONLY you must do (e.g. line reports appraisals)
• analyse why you are needing to get involved in matters beyond your ‘must do’s’
• clarify roles and responsibilities – give feedback and develop people, so they can deliver these effectively
• learn how to coach well so you are ready when people ask you a question that they should know the answer to. What’s causing the gap in their knowledge or confidence?

Still doing too much?

You’ve looked at your use of time and know you’re still doing tasks that should go to someone else.  Tick each of the answers that explain why:

• you think you can do it better
• no-one else has time to do it
• if you keep doing it, it makes you indispensable
• ‘why not?’, I enjoy it!
• it’s easier to just do it myself

Danger zone!

In the short term some of these answers may be acceptable.  In the longer term they signal a significant risk to your business if only YOU are willing or able to undertake these tasks.

• be honest with yourself about why you’re hanging on to the task
• think about who it could go to and, if there isn’t anyone, why?
• learn how to delegate effectively, so you feel confident to loosen the reins and won’t be let down by the person who takes it on
• work out how to reinvest the time you gain back, so you really want to let those tasks go. Where can you add more value?

Effective delegation and its links to better mental health

A certain amount of pressure drives us, inspiring us to get out of bed each morning.  Too much pressure or feeling ‘out of control’ can impact our productivity and happiness.  If we delegate and the work delivered is late, or of poor quality, we can feel even more frustrated.  Ultimately, however, either outcome is usually caused by poor delegation skills.

Effective delegation includes:

• handing over clear ownership of a task, otherwise you are simply ‘tasking’ a colleague and they will keep asking you for guidance and the next instruction
• adapting the level of detail when you outline the task, based on the person’s level of Skill and Will
• checking understanding of what the person thinks they are signing up to deliver (“Does that all make sense?” is not sufficient)
• allowing them to decide ‘how’ they will deliver the task wherever possible, making any constraints clear
• agreeing checkpoints, with the person outlining when they will update you; this will mean they have to think about their workload and how to do the task in order to feasibly communicate progress. Knowing that the person will truly own the task frees up your brain space and prevents you from having to ‘police’ progress
• giving specific behavioural feedback that encourages great behaviour to be replicated, or helps the person recognise where things could be done better

When it comes to positive mental health don’t underestimate the boost to a team member’s confidence and self- esteem when they feel fully trusted, valued, able to develop and well communicated with by their manager.

In summary…

• What should you be letting go of?
• What’s stopping you?
• What are you going to do about it?
• What difference will it make to you and your business if you reinvest the time?

If you’d like help with how to effectively delegate, coach or develop your team, do get in touch with Alison Craig Coaching Ltd.