The Fine Art of Delegation

Delegating will allow you to accomplish more, empower your staff, and lead to a more successful practice. If you’re like most people, however, you may have an aversion to delegating. You may think “it takes less time for me to do the task than it does to teach someone else to do it.” Or “if I want it done correctly, I need to do it myself.”

Delegation does take a little extra time and effort when you train your staff to do the tasks that will meet your expectations and deadlines., but effective delegation will save you time in the long run.

The first step is to determine whether a task can be delegated. Here are some factors to consider:

• Will the task be recurring?
• Is there someone on my team who has the skills to accomplish the task?
• Will the person taking on this task see this as an opportunity for growth?
• Does this person’s current workload allow them to take this new task on without getting overloaded?
• Do you have enough time to train, check progress and allow for changes prior to the deadline?

If you answered “yes” to all or most of the above questions, the task can most likely be successfully delegated.

Simple Steps to Delegation

• Be patient. It will take your employees longer to complete the task at first.
• Set clear guidelines, expectations and deadlines.
• Be available to provide support and answer questions. You will need to periodically monitor progress, but try not to micro-manage.
• Allow autonomy and focus on results. Your staff may discover or create a better way to do the task.
• Accept the work only if it is completed and meets your expectations. If you accept less than satisfactory work, your employees will not learn and you’ll need to spend more time finishing their work.
• Give praise and recognition once the task is complete.

When you take time to delegate effectively, it develops a higher level of trust and appreciation between you and your staff members. It will also elevate your staff’s skills and allow you to focus on the specific tasks that need your expertise.