How to Avoid Burnout and Delegate Like a Pro - Part 2 of 2
Aug 07, 2024It's one thing to know "what" to delegate.
It's another thing to do it in a way that you don't burn out your team.
Knowing "how" to delegate is half the battle, as dumping "all the things" to your team in an unwise manner may just turn your task problems into people problems.
In this continuation of last week's article, we'll explore "how" you can delegate like a pro so you AND your team thrive.
The Burden of Leadership
A common misconception about delegating is that we can just dump our Urgent/Not Important tasks to anyone on our team.
I mean, they are there to support us, right?
Yes...but also, no.
- Yes, in that building a team is meant to support one another and get more done as a group.
- But, no, in that as a leader it is your job to ensure your team is equipped and right for the roles and tasks at hand.
Pushing difficult tasks to the wrong person on your team may cause a good team member to burn out and leave.
We want to delegate in a way that cares for everyone on our team while removing the burden from your shoulders.
This is the burden of leadership.
Leadership Doesn't Mean You Must Suffer
In the process of delegating, you need to discover not only "what" to delegate (which we discussed last week) but also "how" to distribute the load properly to your team.
This doesn't mean that you need to hold on to certain tasks that exasperate you.
It merely means you need to do the extra work in delegating to ensure you don't blow up your team in the process.
The joy of leadership is that you are the leader—the boss—the big honcho, so to speak. So, while taking care of your team, also take care of yourself and determine what your team structure needs to look like to handle all of the tasks, projects, and responsibilities coming your way.
This may mean splitting the tasks among your existing team, hiring a new team member to absorb the delegated tasks, restructuring your existing team, or any combination of these.
The point is this. Don't get hit by the same stick over and over again.
How to Delegate Like a Pro
Okay – now that I've done my job to ensure you don't drop a bomb on your team, let's walk through my 5 step process of determining "how" to delegate like a pro so you can free yourself to work on the things you are best at, and love to do:
01 Determine "What" to Delegate
I discussed this in depth last week, so I won't spend much time here. But, as a recap:
- Track your time.
- Use the modified Eisenhower Matrix to determine "what" to delegate and delete.
- Determine Urgency and Importance
- Determine Good/Love vs. Bad/Hate
- Delete everything that is Not Important and Not Urgent.
- Delegate everything that is Urgent but Not Important, as well as anything that must be done that you are bad at or hate doing.
02 Determine "Who" to Delegate To
Here is where great leadership skills come into play.
Don’t delegate your responsibilities and tasks to people who are not gifted or wired to do them.
When assigning tasks, you should consider each team member's strengths, skills, and workload. The goal is to match the right person to the right task to ensure a successful hand-off of responsibility.
Normally, these tasks are split amongst your team based on talent and giftedness.
Other times, you may need to hire additional personnel.
The important thing here is to ensure you aren't task-bombing the rest of your team with items that will frustrate them.
Remember, protecting your team ultimately protects you.
03 Communicate and Train Diligently
It's likely that you've been doing the delegated tasks and overseeing these responsibilities for years.
Slow down for this step and ensure a healthy hand-off.
When delegating tasks, clearly communicate your expectations, objectives, and desired outcomes.
Provide detailed instructions, timelines, and any relevant resources or guidelines to ensure clarity and understanding.
Encourage open communication and invite questions or feedback from your team members to give them every opportunity to succeed in these new responsibilities.
04 Trust Your Team, and Don't Micromanage
Trust your team members to take ownership of the tasks assigned to them.
Trust their abilities and judgment, and avoid micromanaging.
Offer support and guidance when needed, but allow them the autonomy to complete the task in their own way, fostering a sense of responsibility and accountability.
If they can't own it, they won't take responsibility for it.
Remember the Pareto Principle here. If they can do the job 80% as well as you, requiring only 20% of your time and input, you’ve just won big! 🎉
05 Follow Up, Provide Feedback, and Encourage
Regularly check in with your team members to monitor progress, offer feedback, and provide support as needed.
Recognize and celebrate their accomplishments and efforts.
Roll any constructive criticism into your natural meeting workflow and iron out the kinks. It's 100% expected that they will have issues and challenges and need encouragement.
If they become overwhelmed with the new responsibilities, encourage them to delegate to their teams as well. If they don't have a team to delegate to, it may be time to stretch them just a bit more and provide them with a staff member to supervise.
You'll know best how to structure your team for success. Think outside the box here.
This is How Healthy Teams Grow
Following this guide will help ensure your team grows alongside you.
Delegating always leads to increased capacity.
Increased capacity, in turn, allows for more productivity.
Increased productivity creates more output (revenue!).
More output generates more work.
More work requires more delegation and a bigger team.
This is how you scale healthy teams, leading to:
- Increased Personal / Team Productivity
- Team Skill Development
- Promote Your Team & Yourself
- Focus on Strategic Priorities
- Improve Decision-Making Abilities
- Builds Trust With Your Team
Oh yeah...and you'll finally find enjoyment in your work again.
Get delegating.