To delegate is to assign duties to individuals, groups, or teams, to assign responsibility to employees or subordinates. It also involves committing a task to someone or to give authority to someone to act on your behalf.  

The idea of delegating responsibility is as old as man. Right from time, those in positions of power or authority have had to "give out" a little of their powers/authority to subordinates to enable them to act on their behalf. When you delegate, you share or transfer power or anything temporarily.

When should you delegate?

Delegation does not make you lazy or bossy. It rather keeps your employees from being redundant and sharpens their skills and also broadens their knowledge. Research has shown that employers who efficiently delegate have 33% more productivity than those who do not. Why is this the case? This is because delegating tasks frees up time for you to attend to other matters that cannot be delegated.

For example, your firm is hosting a charity gala tonight. At the event would you concern yourself with what the ushers, disk jockey, valet or servers are doing? Or would you rather delegate these duties to members of your staff beforehand and focus on talking to your guests about your cause and woo them into making generous contributions? The part you play seems to be the "easier" part, but really who is best to handle it?

So you see, it is important to delegate responsibility. Some things your staff can handle, other things you have to take care of yourself.

Feel free to delegate responsibility at any point in time. You do not necessarily have to be busy before assigning tasks to others, the more tasks an individual has to deal with, the more they learn to be responsible and accountable. This is not to say that there are no challenges associated with delegating.

Challenges of delegating.

Many individuals today fail to delegate duties to their employees. They are content with having their staff do the basics of their job descriptions. Why is this so?

• Fear of failure: It's a common saying that to get something properly done you have to do it yourself.
• Whom to delegate:  Perhaps your employees already have so much to do. This could pose a problem when you need to delegate
• Time factor:  You have more experience, and you can complete tasks in a few hours. Assigning them to an employee may cost you days which you may not be able to afford

How to efficiently delegate.

1. The first step would be for you to make up your mind to delegate. Look around you, there is so much to be done. Tell yourself it's okay to let others help you.
2. Choose who to delegate. Delegate responsibility based on skill, knowledge and past performances. You may be the most experienced person around, but that does not make those with less experience incapable.
3. Communicate clearly. Let the assignee know the expected outcomes. Make your goals/objectives clear, and outline the processes involved. Let them know what cannot be compromised or what is unacceptable.
4. Provide necessary tools and resources to facilitate the completion of a delegated duty. 
5. Make the limitations of their duties or authority clear. You do not want to have an overstepping subordinate.
6. To avoid problems, let your assignee repeat your instructions back to you as he /she understands them.
7. Give room for innovation. Let your employee know you trust him/her and prove it by allowing the individual to use his or her initiative. Allow them to improvise and be discerning without disruptions.

Follow these steps mentioned above and watch your employees perform brilliantly in their variously delegated duties. Click here to read more on how to efficiently delegate. 

In summary, there is nothing wrong with delegating as long as it is done efficiently. Following the steps above would ensure maximum for your firm as you have time to attend to other matters that can not be delegated. Delegating also helps to keep you from being burnt out from doing all the work. Always remember that you can not do it alone.

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