Delegation: The Art of Learning to Trust

Delegation isn’t just a way to unload tedious tasks. According to Charles H. Green, best-selling author and founder of the management consulting firm Trusted Advisor Associates, true delegation is built on a foundation of trust.

“There’s frequently a belief that no one can do it as well as I can,” he says, “but that’s an excuse and a copout.” True delegating means not only giving responsibilities to your employees, but also the authority to carry them out in their own way. “And when you trust people,” Green notes, “there is a strong reciprocal desire on their part to live up to that trust.”

Delegation based on trust offers three major benefits:

1.     Enhanced time management. Delegation frees up you up to do what you are supposed to do—take the big-picture view of the entire process. Your job should be focused on long-term planning, development and expansion, not bookkeeping and payroll.

2.     Increased decision-making and innovation. By allowing your people to make decisions about the area of the business in which they are in closest contact, decision-making can become swifter and more effective. And you never know what innovative new method an employee might have until you allow them to try things out their way.

3.     Higher work quality. Empowering employees to take on responsibilities motivates them, making them feel that they have a stake in the business. And not only do motivated employees produce better work, but the overall work climate can also be improved in terms of increased order and stress reduction.