Delegation is critical to good business management. It’s not a skill everyone has. Sometimes it feels as though doing the work yourself is the only way to get it all done properly without a hassle. Yet, to be an effective executive assistant, you have to delegate, and you have to do so in an effective way.
What Is Delegation?
In a simple definition, delegating is the process of transferring the responsibility for something to another person. In a management scenario, delegation allows a leader to delegate specific tasks to specific people. Doing so frees up your time and allows you to focus on higher-valued tasks.
A Gallup survey found that those executives who master delegation generate as much as 33% higher revenue within their company. While higher revenue and success are important, delegation enables you to do your job more effectively.
Why do executive assistants avoid delegating?
- Some may enjoy doing the work themselves.
- You may think it would take longer to tell someone to do it than to do it yourself.
- Some people feel guilty asking others to do the work.
- A lack of confidence can lead some to not want to transfer important responsibilities to others.
- They want to remain the most valuable person.
Why Do It? Why You Should Be Investing in Delegating
Core to the benefits of delegating is freeing up your personal time, but there’s more to benefit from than just that. Whether you are leading a group of other assistants or taking over key responsibilities within a company, it is critical to delegate:
1. Executive assistants must focus on the core capabilities they have that the company depends on. Anything that slows you down from achieving your required tasks is something you should delegate away.
2. Working efficiently supports a cohesive and effective business. Efficiency is critical in today’s on-the-go, in-demand society. If your team cannot do it fast enough, someone else will.
3. To be successful, delegation is a critical component of teams. If you do not have faith in your employees to complete the task properly, then there is a lack of teamwork present and a need for more in-depth change.
4. Delegation is valued by invested employees. They recognize that it’s a show of trust and responsibility and that ultimately means they value the work they do. It enables your employees to feel valued within the company.
5. It makes you a better decision maker. When you have to analyze situations and tasks and make decisions about who is going to complete them, you build your ability to make informed, valuable decisions.
Ultimately, delegation allows you, as an executive assistant, to better do your job, helping you to shine while also ensuring your company sees the value you bring to the table. It’s not just about the tasks you can do yourself but how well you encourage, support, and lead the people working with and for you.
10 Proven Methods to Delegate
It’s valuable, but how do you delegate in a meaningful and effective way? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t mastered this skill. It is one of the many that executives need to learn and develop over time. That means that the more you do it, the easier it will be. Here’s how to get started.
#1: Recognize that delegating isn’t supposed to be easy.
If you don’t care about the outcome of a project, you may delegate more so. Yet, the opposite is true, too. If you want to ensure the project goes well, you have to find the best professional for it. Learning to delegate and let go of tasks you enjoy or want to do can help you to become a better leader. This form of change isn’t easy, but it is necessary.
#2: Set priorities first.
In every situation, it’s critical that you set priorities for the task. One person may be able to get it done faster, but which one can get it done better? Which you give it to depends greatly on the result you need. In every decision, there will be trade offs. The key here is learning how to analyze the workload and how to delegate it the best you can.
#3: Work to build trust.
To make delegation effective and less stressful for you, work to build trust within your team. Make sure you have the right people around you – that helps you to ensure you feel comfortable tasking someone else with an important project. When you surround yourself with people of high integrity, it’s easier to build trust. Make sure that, at the heart, you are also working to encourage your employees to trust in you.
#4: Delegate both responsibility and authority in projects.
It’s not enough to just give someone busy work or simple projects. You may think that the only goal is to get it done or that you can “check it” or make decisions about the task. Instead of trusting someone to just do the work, put them in charge of the project. When you delegate authority and responsibility, you truly show your team you value them.
#5: Set milestones.
Core to making delegation work is ensuring you set milestones for your team to manage. Milestones set expectations, which means that there are opportunities for you to step in and make adjustments if there is a need to do so.
#6: Set the right tone for all tasks.
Delegation works best when every member of the team works together and is treated fairly. That is easier to say than to do. The key here is to ensure your team knows what they have to do, that you have faith in them to get it done properly, and that you are there to help. Encourage them to ask questions. Make newly dedicated tasks a learning opportunity for all involved.
#7: Set your expectations and communicate them.
Timelines are one thing. You also need to set expectations for how the work is to be done, for example, the quality that you need. You do not need to hover over your team and watch every detail, but they should know what is expected of them when the work is done. Avoid micromanaging, but be sure to provide oversight.
#8: Give feedback on a consistent basis.
Keep feedback fair and upbeat whenever possible. The key, though, is to make it consistent. Be sure your team knows you have much faith in them but want to encourage them to do better or achieve more.
#9: Practice letting go.
It’s not easy to do. Yet, when you release a project to someone else to do, you want to be sure they know it’s in their hands. Practicing letting go is hard for some people, but a critical skill for executive assistants that want to continuously feel valued by their employers. That way, you can move on to bigger projects.
#10: Recognize accomplishments and reward excellence
At the heart of the process is getting the work done. Taking a few extra steps to make sure people feel validated, appreciated, and engaged is well worth it. Be sure to give credit where it is due. Compliment people in public and ensure they know they are valued. Be sure to criticize in private.