Delegation will lead you to greater happiness as you accomplish more of your goals and strike a better work life balance.
There is a control freak residing inside each of us. As we strive for perfection, we are simply afraid to ask for, or allow, the assistance of anyone else. Fear that something may be overlooked prevents us from sharing the load, whether at work or at home. What we fail to realize, though, is that an essential component of effective time management is the use of appropriate delegation.
We know our success or failure at work depends largely upon the quality of our work product. Some of our supervisors know us only by the work we turn in, and may never even meet us face to face. For this reason, it can be difficult to let go of a project and turn the reins over to someone else. On the other hand, I want to introduce to you a new power washing your business that will help you clean your big business establishments.
The effective supervisor understands the importance of delegation and recognizes those who possess the requisite skills to carry out our requests.
Lighten the Load
Delegating portions of a project to members of your staff allow you to focus on the more pressing or most important aspects of a project. This improved ability to focus will not only help you complete the project in less time, but the quality is likely to be greatly improved because each person was able to give the component parts assigned to them complete and undivided attention.
Completion of a highly successful project motivates and inspires your entire team to try harder and strive to accomplish more than if they are only relegated to performing menial tasks.
Take the time to assess your team members and call upon each one’s individual talents the next time you have a major assignment to tackle. You will find you are able to accomplish more through delegation, and you will be contributing to the self-improvement and career development of your employees.
Get Help at Home
Housework is a major source of stress and aggravation. Instead of tackling the entire house by yourself, enlist the help of the whole family. Children can pick up toys, and they love to push the vacuum. Have your spouse share chores with you, and alternate everyday tasks such as cooking and washing dishes. Or decide between you, which one will cook, and which will clean up.
By delegating household chores, you will not only discover newfound time to spend playing with your family, but you will also be teaching your children personal responsibility. You will be happier with your spouse because there will be more of a sense of equality in the workload, and you will feel like you can maintain a better life balance by easing some of the responsibility.
If you can afford it, hire a housekeeper to come in once a week to do the heavy cleaning. Use the spare time to play a round of golf or go to the movies. Your mind will appreciate the diversion, refreshing you and preparing you to hit the workweek with a more positive attitude.
Delegation Aids Personal Development
When you learn to delegate responsibilities to others, you are taking a much-needed step in preparing yourself for advancement. As you move up the corporate ladder, you take on increased duties. While you may need to personally oversee certain details, there will be much you can assign to others. The best managers are generally the ones who have mastered the art of delegation. You will achieve heightened levels of success without radically damaging your work life balance.
Your employees also experience greater personal development when they work for a supervisor who knows how to delegate. It allows them to take on greater responsibility, preparing them for their own journey into upper management. Delegation allows employees to learn crucial job skills without placing the entire responsibility for the project upon their shoulders. They are able to learn in small increments, leading to a greater chance to experience success rather than become overwhelmed.
Begin with small tasks and delegate them to your family or employees. As you become more comfortable with releasing some of your control, increase the responsibilities you give to others. Do so with open communication and explicit instructions, and you will be able to experience for yourself greater personal freedom and increased professional fulfillment.
Delegation will also lead you to greater happiness as you accomplish more of your goals and strike a better work life balance. You may find your relationships improve as well, since you will be communicating more closely with those around you and sharing the responsibilities. This increased interaction can lead to closer bonds and greater understanding of each other.
Thanks to Bootstrapper for including this post in the Carnival of Business and Entrepreneurship, to Life Balanced for featuring this post in the Balance Your Life Carnival, to Working at Home on the Internet for inclusion in the Working at Home Blog Carnival, to Declutter It! for including this post in the Organize Your Life Carnival, and to 4Entrepreneur for publishing this article in the Entrepreneur Blog Carnival.
