Contact me +447985 440014 or email: awele@theworkstressbuster.co.uk

Work Success Secrets Revealed: How delegating can save your Soul!

The simple message of this blog is: let go… to grow!


In the work environment, one key to successful workload and therefore stress management is knowing when to delegate and to whom. Without this skill (and it is an art form), you could be holding yourself back by creating a situation where you’re sinking under the weight of a load that is too heavy for you to carry

(see blog ‘Who is Rowing Your Boat?’ about the perils of overloading oneself.)

This blog will highlight the benefits of delegating responsibly in the work place. A delegate is ‘… a person chosen to represent another’ (Collins Dictionary,1999).

Skills for delegating successfully

So what are the skills required to be successful at delegating?

delegation

  • Self awareness (of signs that you require support),
  • Acceptance (that you can’t do everything),
  • Willingness to forego control (because we must be able to learn to work with and trust others).

Why the investment of time and energy in these skills?

The benefits of delegating are far and wide, but some of these are:

  • Greater relief to concentrate on your key work tasks;
  • Freedom to focus on the wider perspective and holistic view: the strategy of your business and your key work objectives – driving your business forward in the direction you want to go.

In accordance with the definition above, in order to delegate effectively, we must therefore choose (a representative) wisely; someone with proven skill to get the job done effectively and efficiently.

So How can this be achieved?

For managers or Sole traders, networking can be a useful way of meeting and building relationships with other skilled professionals; people skilled in areas you (or your team) are not- professionals you can recruit as associates, as and when needed- for specific tasks. Thereby relieving the pressure at work.

papers

Again this is a learning curve. It can seem easier to ‘do it yourself’ (after all, you know and trust the standard of your work), however with the right quality of skilled professional support, this can only be an asset to you and your work.

(see blogWho are your Cheerleaders’ on the benefits of recruiting your Champion Team).

Notably, other definitions of ‘delegate’ include ‘empower’, ‘authorise’, entrust’ and commission’ (Collins Dictionary,1999).

Those who plan to grow professionally, will agree that these are useful skills to develop and demonstrate towards our workplace colleagues and these other definitions can be useful ways to think about delegation when we find ourselves clinging on to tasks that we would be wise to let go of.

So in your current work situation, are there some tasks that you would benefit from entrusting to another? Whom of your colleagues could you authorise to perform these roles? These could be tasks or roles that fall out of your job description or skill set. (For example this could be important but non-urgent administrative tasks like updating a contact list, filing and ordering business cards- tasks that could fall to the bottom of the to do list, but that are essential for reaching new audiences).   By delegating a non-essential task, it frees up your time to concentrate on those aspects of your workload that require your attention.

So Ask yourself:

  • ‘Do I have the skills to execute this role efficiently?’,
  • ‘If so, can I afford the time to do it?’,
  • ‘What would be the impact on my business now and in the long term?’

Don’t hold back;  remember you deserve to enjoy the relief and freedom that comes from letting go and empowering another work colleague.

It is by others trusting in you (through hiring your services or delegating to you) that allows your skills and business to grow and develop. And you can be just as generous to both yourself and others.

What next?
Share your feedback as you read through this blog and let me know your thoughts…

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/89882948@N05/10034617715″>ABC-Analyse</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a>

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/90564614@N00/5492936512″>Filing</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>(license)</a>

Similar Articles

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *