How — And What — To Delegate To Prevent Burnout And Build Stronger Teams
by Heather Wolfson, CEO & Lead Strategist, Maven Leadership Consulting
Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
Business professors seemed to have skipped the lesson about how managers can effectively delegate.
There's no need for you to do everything yourself. But managers often feel it is their responsibility to have a hand in everything to ensure processes run smoothly.
If asking for help or delegating tasks has been challenging, you’re not alone. I was reluctant to delegate tasks as a new manager. My regular refrains were "it's easier for me just to do it" or "they've got too much on their plates; I'll do it for them."
It’s only in retrospect that I can see this as a missed opportunity. Not only to prevent me from burning out but because I wasn't taking advantage of my team's strengths by encouraging them to learn new skills and showing confidence in their abilities.
Employees want to be included. Allowing them to step up on projects makes them feel like they're contributing to the company's success — because they are!
By the time you’re finished reading this article, you’ll know how to delegate tasks to improve work-life balance and create more empowered teams.
What Is Delegation?
Passing a task off to the person below you on the corporate ladder is what most people think about when they hear the word delegating. But, to be clear, delegating isn’t about tossing your to-do list. Instead, the delegator retains ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of the task but delegates authority to the person or group carrying it out. And you can delegate to all levels of the organization, as long as the person you are delegating to understands what is expected of them.
It is about clearing space in your schedule to focus more on what you want to do and excel at doing. Ultimately, delegation creates opportunities for employees to learn new skills and gain experience in new areas. When done correctly, delegation can help motivate and empower employees while freeing up the manager's time to focus on other tasks.
Delegation is a critical leadership skill that needs to be utilized more. This quote struck me from Jeffrey Pfeffer, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business professor and author of What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management.
“Your most important task as a leader is to teach people how to think and ask the right questions so that the world doesn’t go to hell if you take a day off.”
Powerful, right?!
What Stops People From Delegating Tasks
Most people find it easier to say yes than no, especially when their most genuine intention is showing up well as a leader.
It is difficult for most people to say "no" because they feel guilty for not helping and like they are not contributing. Having a hard time saying no at work is mainly due to fear of conflict, people pleasing, and an inability to communicate boundaries.
Passionate professionals are especially susceptible to this. Investing too much time and energy in your career increases your risk of burnout. High achievers often believe that refusing a single task means career opportunities won't come along again in the future.
A recent Harvard Business Review article stated, "Passionate employees are more likely to be asked to do unpaid work, work on weekends, and handle unrelated and demeaning tasks."
As a result, people answer emails on weekends, feel guilty about taking vacations, and stay late working on projects more than they would like to.
A toxic workplace environment results when employee boundaries are not set and communicated. Hello, burnout and resentment!
What Should You Delegate?
If there's one thing I've learned from years as a corporate leadership facilitator, it's that when managers or leaders don't understand their purpose, they fall into the trap of saying yes to everything — even if it means missing out on meaningful growth opportunities.
Of course, most busy managers and people in leadership aren’t walking around wondering what their purpose is while in the office. But accepting that your leadership role impacts your legacy can help you reframe.
This is your permission slip to prioritize something that means more to you.
When the subject of achieving a big goal comes up in my corporate coaching sessions, prioritizing is at the heart of the issue.
It's not always a matter of procrastination (and it's not laziness either. Check out my post from two weeks ago for more info on that topic.)
Something else is in the way. It's a learned skill to balance tasks — and it is OK to prioritize something else in pursuit of a more significant outcome. Becoming more confident in your ability to prioritize is like a muscle.
Action Steps:
Set a priority for the day to start.
Limiting your options and tasks can clearly define what you want to achieve every day, week, and year.
Form the habit of focusing on what matters regularly.
Every day, work on 3-4 essential (and small) tasks that will bring you closer to your weekly and yearly goals.
Determine what tasks you can delegate.
Small Tasks: Even if they only take a few minutes, they are never urgent and constantly interrupt the flow of more strategic work you could be doing. These are the perfect tasks to delegate to your team members.
Time-consuming Task: To-do list items that take a little time but don't require you to complete the entire workload — even though some of the tasks might be significant and complex. For example, when a task is 80% complete, it is more efficient for you to intervene and approve or direct the next steps to have your team members complete the job.
Teachable tasks: Tasks that initially appear complex and might consist of smaller subtasks can be organized into a system and distributed among team members who require your oversight and final approval. Investing time to teach these tasks will benefit you in the long run.
Task Outside Your Zone Of Genius: Things outside your area of expertise. You are working harder than usual, it takes a lot of your time to complete the task, and you feel frustrated. Stay in your lane of genius and delegate the jobs you could be more proficient at to team members who excel in these areas.
5 Steps For Delegating Work
Now that you know what to delegate, here are five actionable steps to use delegation as a team-building opportunity.
Provide Context: Tell your team member why they are the person for the job. This is meant to encourage them to take ownership and prepare for the new challenge.
Set Clear Expectations: Set your team members up for success. Clearly lay out what it means to be successful at the task, what the goals are, and the reasons for doing the task well.
Offer Support: Let them know you’re there if they need help. Provide the relevant training, guidelines, and tips for success.
Give Them Space: Once you have delegated a task or project, avoid micromanaging. Give them the space to complete the task or project their way. This will help them to feel empowered and motivated. Provide feedback.
Say, Thanks! Finally, be sure to say thank you. Appreciate the individual or team's effort, and let them know you are grateful for their contribution.
Delegating is a critical skill for any leader, but it can be hard to implement. If you're interested in learning more about how — and what — to delegate to prevent burnout and build stronger teams, book a free 20-minute session.
