Guide to know how to delegate: how to have a business that runs by itself (2)

Since we know that this topic is one to meditate on very well, we have prepared a series of posts that started with this first part of the guide and finishes with the post that you are reading right now. 

As we have already talked a lot about why it is important to delegate and how to do it, we will delve into the human view of the matter. How can we choose the person to entrust certain tasks? Who is the most suitable person? 

Well, we are going to help you with this part.

Once you have audited and prioritized the tasks, it is time to start delegating to your team. Here we should distinguish between two different assumptions. 

The first scenario involves having a created team already created. In this case, it is usually easier to reassign tasks, because you already know the team and each of its members: you know what their involvement is, how they work, weaknesses and strengths. 

On the contrary, if you still do not have a profile within the company that can do what you need to delegate to and you are going to hire it specifically, you should consider very well what you need to ensure that you are covering the needs you have at that time, and also the future ones.  

Understanding all said above, we can talk about a series of factors that affect the decision to choose who to delegate to. 

You need to have someone to prove their ability to solve the task. In general, it is best if it is someone who has already done something similar before, either in your company or in a previous job. 

Sometimes, there is no one on staff or you cannot contract someone who is hyperspecialized. In these cases, it is almost more important to have two other factors: attitude over aptitude and time to train. 

If you have someone who has shown you their ability to take on new tasks and are willing ... that is your person. 

You will have to spend a lot of time at the beginning, first until he internalizes the task well and then in supervising it. The better the relationship knowledge of the task / attitude is, your investment in time will be less and the result better. 

Are they ambitious? independent? Individualist? Do you think they see themselves working for the company in the long term? There are people, for example, who do not know how to work under pressure, while others always keep a level head. 

Before delegating to someone, it is important to know these things. We have already discussed the importance of a good attitude, but it is not only that. The best thing is that you have a very clear profile of who you are delegating to. 

What features are ideal? It will depend on the task, but by default look for someone who is disciplined, capable of thinking for themselves, proactive to seek solutions through lateral thinking and who has a certain bond with the company. 

The latter is vital because we cannot be training someone every 6 months. It is simply not operational, and in the medium term it is a problem rather than a solution. Do your bit to make the work attractive. 

Resources are limited for any company, even the largest. This is something that everyone who wants to start a business is clear about. 

When you delegate, in some way the workflow is being modified. This is very sensitive, because the optimum will be to balance the loads but, in no case, move the bottlenecks from you to another worker. 

Before choosing “the lucky one”, it is important that you assess whether this person is able to take on more tasks without compromising his overall performance or making him work at full speed. This has an impact on the quality of their work and, above all, on their level of satisfaction. 

If we face with work that can be divided into small sub-tasks, we can do it to make sure we are fair and maintain the workflow in an efficient and productive way. 

Just one last general point to end this guide: knowing how to delegate also implies keeping a balance between demand and recognition. 

On the one hand, you cannot let a job that does not meet the minimum requirements go ahead: you have to make it understood that what is not going well must be adjusted, without drama or quarrels, but neither will you assume the burden of redoing the work. 

On the other hand, when things start working and you feel you can get out of the day-to-day details - general supervision should never be neglected - acknowledge the achievements and appreciate the effort. This is one of the things expected and most appreciated of a leader by anyone making an effort.