Introduction
The last step to handle your to-do list properly is delegating some tasks.
The further you go in your career, the less time you have to do everything yourself.
And the more essential delegation becomes.
The goal here isn't to teach management.
It's to share a few simple practices to delegate effectively without wasting time or energy.
The excuses we tell ourselves to avoid delegating
In general, we're very good at coming up with good reasons not to delegate.
"If I want it done right, I have to do it myself."
"It'll be faster if I do it myself."
"It's annoying to do, I'll set the example."
If these sound familiar, you probably don't delegate enough.
No one is irreplaceable
Of course, there are things you can't delegate.
If you're a photographer and a client wants your specific style, it's hard to replace you.
But in most cases, you can delegate almost everything.
If you were gone for several months, someone would do the work in your place.
The company would keep running.
The results might be different, but they would exist.
No one is irreplaceable.
It's sometimes hard on the ego, but it's a freeing reality.
Delegating well takes time
Delegating properly takes time and energy.
It's not forwarding an email quickly or grabbing someone in a hallway and dumping a task on them.
When you do that, you're mostly trying to get rid of the problem.
And that's exactly what you should not do.
When someone is discovering a task, delegating should even take more time than doing it yourself.
It's an investment.
If you don't take that time upfront, you risk:
- a bad result
- endless back-and-forth
- wasted time for everyone
Invest time now to save time later
Delegating means accepting you'll lose time at the beginning to save time later.
For example, if you ask someone to prepare something, give all the information at once:
- context
- constraints
- expectations
- expected quality level
Spending hours on a brief can feel excessive.
But it's often time saved in the long run.
That's exactly what good work organization enables.
The rules of effective delegation
When you delegate, a few rules make all the difference.
First, give meaning to the mission.
Explain the context, the stake, why it matters.
Someone who understands the impact of their work will be much more engaged.
Then, delegate the outcome, not the method.
Avoid micromanagement.
Explain what you expect, not how to do every step.
Give a clear deadline.
A real deadline.
Not a fake one to reassure yourself, at the risk of breaking trust.
Provide the necessary tools.
If you invest time now, you won't have to redo it next time.
And finally, thank people.
A message, a word, public recognition.
It's nothing for you, but it changes everything for the other person.
Who to delegate to
Ideally, the best person for a task is someone who volunteers.
When possible, share the goals to reach and let people propose what they want to work on. That creates much more engagement.
But it won't always be possible.
Sometimes you'll have to choose.
In that case, consider:
- skills
- workload
- the person's real capacity to take on the task
This is a key responsibility, just like prioritizing your tasks or learning to say no, as explained in the power of saying no at work.
Conclusion
Delegating well isn't only about moving tasks forward.
It's especially what lets the people around you progress, grow, and become more autonomous.
In the long run, the real productivity lever in a team isn't what you do yourself.
It's the people you help develop.
Go further
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