Most managers know they should be delegating work. The majority do not delegate enough. One problem is that many of those same managers do not know what to delegate. What to delegate is only half of the problem. The other half, knowing how to delegate, is covered elsewhere, and we will go into it in more detail in the future. However, before we delegate work, we have to figure out which work we are going to delegate. As a manager your work falls into one of several categories, as far as delegation is concerned (i.e., vis-a-vi your direct reports):
- Work that only you can do.
- Work that your directs can do better than you.
- Work that you can do better than your directs.
Work Only You Can Do
This should be obvious, you cannot delegate this work. This includes your primary functions. These functions are the reason your position exists. If you delegate these away, there is no reason to have you around. Additionally, others in the organization are expecting you to do these. When you don’t do them, you will cause confusion in the rest of the organization and with external customers you are expected to engage with.
For example, as a manager you are responsible for providing performance feedback to your directs. You may not delegate this task. Imagine if your boss delegated this task to one of your peers. You would resent your peer telling you how you are doing in your job. Even if you thought it was useful information, you can never be quite sure what the motivations are for specific feedback. Performance reviews are also in this category.
Finally, there is work that your organization expects out of you based on your position. This includes certain meets and engagements. You may not delegate attending your boss’s staff meeting. Sending a direct to a standing meeting with your boss so you can do other work will sour your relationship with your boss. You can have a direct fill in for you while you are on travel or on vacation. This is a great way to develop your direct, but this is not a delegation of the work; it is your direct filling in for you while you are out.
Work Your Directs Can Do Better Than You
If this is something you have determined you need to improve your skill at for the future, then do not delegate it all. Otherwise this one should be self-evident; delegate as much as this work as you can get away with. In some cases, the organization has hired your directs specifically to do this work. Doing this work yourself is wasteful, inefficient, and costly. It wastes your time that could better be spent doing something else that only you can do. It is inefficient because your direct can do this better than you. And it is costly because you (most likely) get paid more than your direct and thus it would cost the organization more in labor for you to do it.
If you have an administrative assistant, don’t do that job yourself. The same is true for other special assistants (e.g., legal). This work you aren’t truly delegating. It really is not your work to begin with. If you find yourself doing this type of work, you need to stop and let those whose job it is do it.
Work You Can Do Better Than Your Directs
This is work that the organization does not require that anyone specific to do. If you do, or have done, the same work as your directs this is likely a fair portion of the work you have. Consider delegating some of this work. This is an opportunity to develop your direct. Additionally, if you don’t delegate at least some of this work, you will not be delegating enough.
Since this makes up the a great deal of the work available to delegate, what portion of this work should you delegate. There are several things you will want to consider:
- What skills can you develop in your directs that will help them and the organization? Build up your team so they can handle more and improve the productivity of the organization as a whole.
- What work needs to get done, but is at a lower priority compared to all your other work? This frees you up to work on the organization’s higher priorities.
- What projects/responsibilities is the direct interested in? If your direct in interested in the work, it is well worth considering that work to delegate to that direct. This is not a necessary nor a sufficient reason to delegate that task, but nor is it irrelevant. It is also not for the direct to use as a veto.
- What tasks are you least effective at? Maybe a direct could prove better over time and free you up for work you are better at.
Conclusion
Delegation isn’t primarily about making your work life easier. It will do that after a while, but it is just as likely to make your work a bit more challenging in the immediate future. Delegation is about making the organization as a whole (and your team in particular) more productive and ultimately more effective. Any benefits to you are a happy and anticipated byproduct.
What of your tasks should you delegate today?