Are Your Delegation Tactics Actually Empowering Employees?

In our article on Why Excellent Managers Delegate Tasks, we covered the difficulties that come with being a manager – most notably, delegation. Delegation entails straying away from micromanaging, and instead, trusting and empowering your employees enough to accomplish deliverables on their own. The role of a manager does not require you to be fully hands-on, but to ensure that everything is executed excellently. Delegation is essential in empowering employees. This gives them agency, improves accountability, and allows them to think on their feet and make their own calls. If you are adjusting to the new role or are looking for ways to improve, it may be more difficult for you to measure how effective you are as a manager.

Here’s what you can do to make sure your delegation tactics are empowering your employees:

Fostering transparency with regular feedback

Feedback is a two-way street, and it shouldn’t just occur during mid-year or annual evaluations. An Entrepreneur article highlights how effective feedback could define trajectories if it is actionable and growth-oriented. When you delegate a task to an employee and they deliver, assess how well they were able to execute it. In the same way, employees should be able to evaluate their own performance and inform you of any hiccups they encountered along the way. Creating an environment of transparency means that they inform you if they are lacking any support, resources, or other information needed to improve. You can set quick catch-ups or even online meetings for feedback after a project has been completed. The more regular, the better – as this could even enhance your company culture.

Leveraging integrated platforms for mobile workers

More companies are starting to adopt a mobile workforce. Nowadays, leaders are encouraged to fully consider this strategy given the current situation. However, the concept of a mobile workforce has been around for a while – which could be a valuable asset for a modern organization. But without the right tools and resources, your business, workers, and clients may end up suffering. Research from Verizon Connect has found that the mobile workforce often has issues with productivity and efficiency. In order to successfully delegate and manage a remote team, you need to find the best software, tools, and integrated communications platforms for everyone to stay in the loop. These should be avenues for you to check-in throughout the day, have a public record of tasks, and allow for free-flowing communication for all teams. Operations will become more efficient and transparent, and workers will now be able to stay accountable and get work done despite geographic and technological constraints.

Giving credit when and where it is due

HR and management consultant Susan M. Heathfield emphasizes the importance of managers demonstrating that they value their employees. If you remain quiet, workers may end up second-guessing themselves and the tasks that they have been doing, which could affect the outcome of their work. This then defeats the purpose of empowering employees through delegation. Giving credit where and when it is due is a good business practice that will supply employees with enough compensation and recognition to keep them motivated. The art of rewarding and recognizing is so significant that it could affect how much employees are willing to invest in your company.

At the end of the day, effective delegation can be measured not only by how well employees are able to handle assigned tasks, but how they feel about themselves after. The responsibility of a manager does not merely end with the act of delegating but should be constantly revisited even when the work has been completed.

Written by Alisha Gwen
Exclusive for justcoachit.com

Alisha Gwen is an HR expert with a background in psychology and management. She writes about company culture and often assists businesses with growth and development. In her free time, she crochets and does some freelance writing