Delegating can be a hard task as it’s taking some of the power away from you. When you’re used to everything running smoothly by your own methods, it can be hard to break away and give someone else that responsibility.

However, the whole reason you hired your employees was to relieve yourself of some of the stress that the working day brings, so maybe it’s time to give it a try.

Pick the Best

When you first start your business or company you have a lot of roles to take on. You become your own accountant, your own recruiter, your own manager and your own sales person and marketer. You sometimes spend so long on your own doing the things that need to be done in the day, that you forget that you have a whole team now that are here to help and support you.

It’s important that you know where your employees’ strengths lie. You have to pick the best person for the job if you want to see good results.

Make sure the person that you’ve delegated the task to is fully understanding of what they have to do. If it’s an entire project, then make sure you’re with them on their first few steps before taking the stabilisers off altogether.

Build Your Relationships

Delegating tasks will build a better relationship between you and your employees as it shows a new level of trust. You are entrusting your staff to carry out the job to the best of their ability. This not only boosts morale and productivity, but also helps you see what members of your staff shine. Handing over your responsibilities to another may bring new ideas to the table and give a different perspective on a project you were struggling with.

Question, Answer, Delegate

You have to ask yourself some questions about your employee before delegating: ‘Are they looking to advance?’, ‘Have they shown promise in the past?’, ‘Will they perform the task as well as you could?’ and ‘Do they listen well?’

If you don’t know the answers to these questions straight away, test the waters a little. Delegate small tasks to an employee and see how they handle them. Gradually increase your demands until you feel your staff member is ready for the bigger challenges. Begin to step back slowly and you’ll be surprised at how much your employees can handle on their own. The big test is when you go on holiday for two weeks – delegate successfully before you go, and you’ll have no worries when you return.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Most managers and employers will delegate when it’s too late. Many will finally hand half-finished tasks over to their staff members when they are exhausted and can’t handle the work anymore – this is entirely unfair on your employees as it thrusted upon them and feels rushed, especially if there are deadlines involved.

In some cases, you could appoint someone who people can report to if you’re struggling. This way you have delegated some of your power to another member of staff and taken a big load off your own back, while still having control of your business.