What Decisions Do You Trust to Delegate?

For many business leaders, the decision to delegate can be a difficult one to come to terms with. To many it can feel like a relinquishing of control – and to a degree that’s true. However, without delegation, you’re going to struggle to operate your business as it continues to grow.

Delegation is an act of trust, and increasing trust in your workplace is important for developing a robust working structure. However, knowing where to start and which decisions might initially make the most sense to delegate can help you to utilize this tactic sensibly and consistently.

Sub Managers

The kind of delegation that you might have in mind when it comes to this could simply come to identifying a sub-manager, someone who would then have authority over a smaller group of workers (or maybe a department). Middle managers can be another term that’s used for people in this position, and the negative connotations that sometimes come with this might indicate the lack of necessity that sometimes comes with this role. However, in other instances, it will be necessary to coordinate smaller groups effectively.

Once you do trust these people with these decisions, though, it’s important that you recognize what you’re imparting – and how you’re then expected to back away and leave it in their capable hands, for your decision to trust them with it has already been made.

Areas of Expertise

The second most common area for you to delegate might be when it comes to knowledge about a specific field that you’re unfamiliar with. For example, you know that your business needs to retain a strong commitment towards security, but do you have the right kind of knowledge to make the decision about which security system to opt for?

Unless you yourself have a penchant for this field, you’ll probably need some help answering that question. Working with specialists within your team can help you to understand the benefits of options like a virtual firewall, keeping you in the loop while also entrusting the ultimate decision to them. Trying to get as much knowledge as possible in fields like this for when your consultation is required can be valuable.

Trust in Ability

Sometimes, delegation might be more of a matter of the work than it is anything special. If you have a difficult time trusting your employees to simply do the work that’s been assigned to them, it might get to a point where your employees feel as though they’re constantly being micromanaged – leading to a less comfortable work environment.

If you’ve hired someone to do a particular job, that in itself is a sign of trust – especially once they’ve made themselves comfortable and gone through all of the proper training. While it’s important to be present to help your staff, and to guide them in a direction that you’re hoping for your business, knowing when to stop breathing down their necks can help them to work more productively – for everyone’s benefit.