By Judy Preszcator – There is a great deal of dialogue around the hybrid work model. Workplace adaptation is inevitable and it is fundamental to profitable, long-term success as we strive to meet the strategic needs of both the business and its employees. Delegating is one effective method that can be incorporated into our hybrid work strategy.
Determine Your Top-Payoff Activities
If you are a leader you make numerous decisions that impact the success of the company and your team. One key decision is about effective delegation of tasks. To get started, look carefully at your own list and decide which three or four you need to take care of personally. We call these your top-payoff activities.
Then decide which tasks you are currently doing that could be done by someone else. Consider each person on your team. Does working at home or the office impact the outcome you’re looking for? Do they have the skills and confidence to succeed in their current role? Is someone else ready for a challenge and looking to grow?
Communicate Clear Expectations
Whether they are working from home or the office, delegating needs to be fair and clear expectations communicated. It’s easy to fall into the trap of walking over to an employee and dumping something on their desk. It’s equally easy to send an email to someone working at home and assume they’ll get it done.
Employees can feel empowered when challenged with a task and the outcome. For everyone’s benefit, outline your expectations clearly. Ask them to:
- Follow up with you by an agreed upon date.
- Approach you for guidance and support with any challenging obstacles.
- Inform you ASAP when the deadline can not be met.
Build Trust While Delegating
Frequently, in the beginning they may ask questions you know they can already answer. Turn it around by asking them what they think they can do.
This will do three things:
- Build their confidence.
- Ultimately, save you time.
- Most important: the conversation will build trust.
Consider how productive your team is now. Do you like what you see, or do you need to make changes? You know you have built a great team and instilled mutual trust when they are equally productive whether you are present or absent.
As we say at TAC, the definition of a good leader is “effective execution through others.” To assist you on your path toward effective delegation click here to request our Delegation Self-Assessment and Delegation Checklist forms.
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