Delegation is the key to increasing productivity and developing and engaging your team members.
Answer YES or NO to each of the statements below, keeping track of your total yes responses.
- On any given day, I’m comfortable letting my team members work harder or longer than I do.
- My team members are always clear on their priorities.
- My team members have the training they need to be successful.
- I’m willing to delegate tasks even when I know I can finish them in less time.
- I’m willing to delegate tasks as long as the outcome will be 80% as good as if I did it myself.
- I’m comfortable with my team members making mistakes, as long as they learn from them.
- I frequently look at my calendar and task list to look for things I can delegate.
- When I delegate, I always specify when it should be done.
- When I delegate, I consider if the person has the capacity (i.e., the time) to take it on.
- When I delegate, I continue to check in on progress and offer assistance.
- I know the strengths and developmental goals of my team members.
- My team operates smoothly when I’m away.
Interpreting Results
How many YES answers do you have?
- If your total number of YES answers is less than 7, it’s possible that your unwillingness to delegate is hurting team productivity and morale. Developing your delegation skills should be a high priority.
- If your total number of YES answers is 7 – 9, you do a good job of delegation but have room for improvement if you want to excel as a leader. Review your “no” answers and take appropriate steps to improve in these areas.
- If your total number of YES answers is 10 or higher, you are following good delegation practices and are optimizing the productivity and morale of your team.
