If you head up a team, you may worry about conceding control to junior colleagues. But don’t be tempted to manage every detail – it will frustrate your staff and distract you from your strategic goals. Learn how to let go and you will have taken a big step towards being a successful leader.

Being a team leader can be precarious – the team’s performance reflects your own, and if your staff fail to deliver, then so do you. Many managers become reluctant to pass on work for fear that their staff are not up to the job or even, in some cases, because they are concerned that a team member will do the job too well and show them up.

The outcome of such anxiety is likely to be a tendency for the team leader to try to do everything themselves or to manage team members so closely it prevents them from acting on their own initiative.

“Some people have trouble delegating things because they don’t like to give up control,” says employment law adviser Amanda Galashan. “But they can become stressed and overworked, and as a result, things don’t get done properly.

“If you’re too entrenched in the day-to-day running of your team or department, this can hinder its development,” she warns. “And it can cause resentment from your staff, because they’re not being given the responsibility they feel they’re capable of taking on.”

Letting go

Delegation makes good business sense. By sharing tasks and responsibilities, you will free up time to properly support and develop your staff. You will also have more time to concentrate on developing you and your team’s strategic role within the company.

“List every one of your tasks and think about whether it’s essential that you personally carry them out,” counsels independent business adviser Frank Thaxton.

Think about which of your staff is best placed to carry out a task. When passing work on, make sure you communicate clearly what it is you want to achieve – delegate the ‘what’ rather than the ‘how’.

“Face-to-face communication is crucial,” Thaxton continues. “You’ve got to get your team member on board. Avoid being prescriptive about a task – ask them how they would deal with it.”

Following up

It is important, however, to retain some control so that you can ensure the delegated task is being done well. Granting flexibility can motivate staff but too much freedom can fuel feelings of isolation.

“This is delegation, not abdication,” Thaxton stresses. “You have to ensure your staff feel supported. Manage them as much as you, and they, feel is necessary. But don’t monitor them too much or they’ll feel that they’re not doing the work exactly how you would do it.

“You might find that you’re actually doing more to start with, and your staff might need extra training as well as support,” he continues. “But over time, you should find that you can step back and give them greater autonomy.”

Reaping the rewards

By giving your team members the opportunity to act on their own initiative, you should find they develop into capable individuals who are contributing more to the company – and you can take a large share of the credit for that. Your personal stock can rise further if you use some of the time you have created to concentrate on projects that develop your own role within the company.

“You staff will be happier and will develop in their roles, you will do a better job and the company will be more successful as a result,” Thaxton concludes. “And your own working day can be less stressful, more rewarding, and shorter!”

The dos & don’ts of delegation

Do
• delegate complete activities rather than chores
• identify benefits for the employee carrying out the task
• provide support and training
• make yourself available to handle any problems as they arise.

Don’t
• dump work on employees
• try to abdicate responsibility
• restrict the employee’s freedom to act
• interfere or snoop.