2012-07-18

Managers’ alert - the cost of not delegating

Drake Editorial Team

Managers’ Alert! The Cost of Not Delegating
If you are a manager, you are probably trying to keep a whole host of tasks and projects moving forward at the same time. You probably know that you could achieve more if you were to delegate more. Managers often come up with a whole host of reasons for not delegating. Do you recognize any of the following?

• I don’t have time to delegate
• If you want a job done right, do it yourself
• It takes too long to delegate, I could do it quicker myself
• I tried delegating once and I was let down by someone else

Chances are you have heard one or more of the above, many times. By not delegating, you are probably experiencing some of the following specific costs or consequences:

• Continually staying late at work

Maybe you find that you are the person who is always first to arrive and last to leave. If that’s you, you could benefit from delegating more.

• Missing key deadlines

If you are finding yourself always delivering things at the last minute, or even worse, missing deadlines completely, it might be time to take stock of what you are doing that you really should pass to others.

• Feeling stressed or under constant pressure

When we start to eel stressed or just constantly under pressure, it impacts on our ability to take decision, solve problems or focus on the bigger picture.

• Poor performance rating

As a manager, a large part of how your performance will be assessed will be on how well you actually manage. If you are focusing all of your time and energy on doing, rather than managing, chances are you will be poorly rated. This might mean no pay increase, or it pay put your job in jeopardy.

Given these not insignificant costs and possible outcomes, here are tips you can follow to be a more effective delegator:

1.    Get clear on your priorities

First and foremost, you need to get clear on your priorities and understand how your performance will be measured.

2.    Review everything you are currently doing

Make a list of every activity you are doing and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is it one of my key priorities?
• Am I the best person to be doing this?
• Is there someone else who could do this more efficiently?

Chances are you will discover a lot of things that could be done better by others leaving you more time to focus on your priorities.

3.    See it as an investment

Yes, it might take a bit of time to train someone, but once you have done it, the time you spend is freed up to concentrate on key priorities.

Bottom Line: If you want to prosper as a manager, you need to become highly competing at delegating. So what’s your next step?

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Reprinted with the permission of Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A). Goals and Achievements works with professionals, teams and organisations to develop their management and leadership capability. With 25 years business experience in a range of sectors, he understands firsthand the real challenges of managing and leading in the demanding business world. www.goalsandachievements.co.uk