How CEOs can delegate more effectively

John C. Maxwell, internationally recognized leadership expert, said, “If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”

While delegating sounds like an easy enough task, that isn’t always the case. Many CEOs struggle with delegation.

To help you build a strong team and get more work done, we look at how CEOs can delegate more effectively.

Why delegate?

Delegating tasks ensures you’re spreading the work around. It also helps you get more things done in less time.

Even more, it helps you build a team that works well together.

Yet, all too often, CEOs aren’t well-equipped to delegate, and they hold too much responsibility too close.

If you are a successful delegator, you’ll find you get better results from your team. You’ll also have the right people doing the right jobs exceptionally well.

Here are the steps for being an effective delegator.

Pick the right tasks

Not all tasks are ripe for delegating. It’s up to you to pick the right ones.

Don’t give away the tasks that you have the expertise to complete. Hand over the ones that someone else may be better skilled at completing.

Pick the right people

This is key to your success as a delegator. Not everyone is right for every task.

Look for people whose skills meet the job. This means getting to know your employees as well as their skill level.

You also want to delegate to team players who want to help to ensure the job gets done.

Avoid micromanaging

It can be hard not to second guess your decision or micromanage the workload.

Effective delegators must let go once they’ve delegated the task.

If you put the right person with the right task, you should be able to avoid micromanaging them.

CEOs who micromanage, belittle their staff and make them doubt their CEO’s trust in them. It also keeps employees from doing their best job because they’ll second guess their work instead of taking the lead.

There is a balancing act here. You do have to provide enough guidance and instruction so your employee is free to act without your hovering and directing.

Be available

You definitely want to keep the lines of communication open.

Throwing a task at an employee and closing the door on questions and refusing to offer help are not the signs of an effective delegator.

Make sure your team knows that they can come to you with questions. You also want to be open to their suggestions.

When they understand this is how you work, they will be more likely to take the lead on the project.

You should also set aside some time regularly to meet with the employee to discuss their progress on the task. This is the perfect time to hear their comments and see if they need assistance.

Give them a time frame

When delegating tasks, you want to let your employees know when you expect to see their completed work.

This helps avoid any misunderstandings.

Say “Thank you”

Please and thank you are great words for the effective CEO.

Make sure your team members know you appreciate their work and their willingness to accept the responsibility.

This helps you build an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.

Final thoughts

It can be hard to delegate because you may worry the job isn’t being done right.

If you delegate to the right people, though, you’ll find that it not only helps you work more effectively, but it lets you utilize the talents of your staff to their full potential.

Be an insightful leader and start working on your delegation skills today. You’ll find morale and productivity will increase exponentially.

Want more?

Escalon provides startups and small to midsized businesses with accounting, strategic finance, CFO services, taxes and support. Talk to an expert today.