The 3 Simple Reasons Why Delegation Is So Powerful

We tend to want to do things ourselves. It’s easier. It’s faster. We know how it’s going to get done. But in trying to do it all, we limit ourselves and our team. Delegation is more than a time-saving tool for individuals, it’s a tool for organization-wide growth. That’s why it’s a powerful skill every leader needs to learn.

Four Key Strategies for Getting Back Your Time

Strategic thinking requires time and space. To elevate HR, we need to free up both. When we work with clients and HR professionals, we systematically walk through four tools to decrease their workload and increase their organizational impact:

1. Automating
2. Delegating
3. Tailgating
4. Eliminating

We’re sharing our insights into each method in a four-part series on how to get back your time. This article is the second in the series.

Watch Today’s Topic On Delegation

Who better to discuss today’s topic than the founder and president of HR Collaborative, Beth Kelly? As a business owner and former CHRO, Beth knows the power of delegation.

To watch this video on YouTube, click here.

The 3 Simple Reasons Why Delegation Is So Powerful

“It’ll be faster if I just do it myself … No one on my team would want to do this … My staff already has too much on their plate.”

There are countless objections we make for why we shouldn’t hand off responsibilities. Often those reasons mask more deep-seated fears or stem from a perception that delegation is for offloading your busy work.

To overcome those doubts, reframe how you see delegation with these three simple reasons why it’s so powerful of a tool.

1. It’s an Invaluable Teaching Opportunity

The first reason delegation can be so powerful is that it’s a chance to teach a new skill.

For skills you’ve already mastered, training others is a valuable process for both of you. Not only does it grow their knowledge, but it can also grow yours. It allows you to identify gaps in your understanding, see new opportunities for improvement, and become a better teacher.

For skills you haven’t mastered, delegating them can be an opportunity for you to become a better manager. The best managers aren’t bosses; they’re coaches. The best coaches don’t know every position, but they do know how to support their team’s development.

When looking at your responsibility list, the most “delegate-able” tasks are ones that provide learning opportunities for everyone.

2. It Increases Your Team’s Confidence and Trust

Not only does handing off a responsibility grow you and your team’s competencies, but it also instills confidence and deepens trust.

By giving a staff member a new responsibility, you’re showing (not just telling) them that you believe in them. Each time they excel in a new responsibility, their confidence will grow. And the more you successfully delegate, the more your confidence in them will grow.

By sharing responsibilities that set up your team for success, you can create a positive feedback loop that increases engagement and effectiveness.

3. It Accelerates You and Your Team’s Growth

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, delegation is a chance to challenge yourself. It’s a chance to prune away those responsibilities that are stalling your growth.

Often, it’s a skill we’re “good enough” at but now gets in the way of deepening our expertise. Or it’s a responsibility that no longer supports our career goals.

By intentionally delegating tasks, which are holding you back but will propel others forward, you can accelerate the trajectory of your entire team.

Wrapping Up

When reframing delegation as a growth opportunity (not a method for offloading busy work), it’s easy to see why it’s so powerful. It’s a chance to build your team’s competence, confidence, and careers. It’s no coincidence that the best leaders are master delegators.

Here’s to working on the business instead of in it.