Teams need new challenges and situations to keep them moving forward within companies, making delegation an important training tool.

Giving colleagues extra tasks is not the action of an inadequate boss, particularly when they delegate effectively. Some employers find it difficult to pass assignments to their staff, because they fear that they will be thought of as inefficient. Also, managers who like to be in control don't like to pass on responsibilities that they know they can complete adequately.

Usually time is the issue and team leaders do not believe they have enough minutes in their working day to explain new roles to their colleagues. These factors may combine and produce an ineffective working environment that is more in need of delegation than ever before.

Delegation signs

Managers who work late constantly may accept this is part of their role. But this can lead to exhaustion, resentments and mistakes made through human error due to tiredness. This is a clear indication that delegation could strengthen the team, as managers operating far below their capacity could have a negative impact on the groups they lead.

Other indications that you may need to pass on some roles to your colleagues is if you are turning down opportunities within the company - such as extra training - or you are struggling to respond to work-related messages or attend meetings. Also, you team may have become 'static' in that your colleagues are completing the same tasks day in, day out and haven't taken on new responsibilities to boost their careers and CVs. This could lead to boredom and de-motivation, which could affect your staff turnover.

Delegating effectively frees up more of your time, as well as giving your workers the opportunity to expand their job roles and take part in extra training. This can increase the overall productivity of your team and make it rise about others within the firm.

Effective delegation

When it comes to giving others more roles, this process needs to be well thought out, as doing it incorrectly could have a significant negative impact on your firm. To begin with, you should carefully highlight the tasks that you think require delegating. This could be a repetitive task that takes up a lot of your time, or it may be one that carries a larger amount of responsibility.

It's important to remember that whether or not the job is successfully completed it still falls under your remit making you accountable for its success or failure. This makes the next stage very important: assigning the task. There may be several colleagues who you believe are capable of taking on the new initiative, and selecting the best candidate is essential.

Consider which members of your team show a natural interest in the subject area and those who have the drive and ambition to progress in the firm. Candidates do need to possess the skills as well as the motivation to complete the task, so take time to investigate your options. Be very clear about the objectives of the assignment and provide support when necessary, as the new role may be daunting for the colleague concerned.

If necessary, consider extra training for the candidate who will be taking on the extra responsibilities. Be prepared to provide guidance and support as they embark on the initiative. If they ask a large number of questions and appear to be struggling to understand their responsibilities, you may need to go over their roles to provide greater clarity.

As your colleague gains confidence you may find that they tackle the assignment in a different way from you. This is perfectly natural and it's important that you let them develop their own style, as long as the initiative is meeting the objective. Some managers find it difficult to let go of some work processes they have been responsible for, but letting colleagues tackle issues in their own way improves their confidence and could bring new ways of completing assignments to the team, strengthening it further.