Five Examples Of When Not To Delegate

On the whole, delegation is a good thing in business, and most can't run without it. We've all delegated some of our work at some point, and had it delegated to us too - but there are times when you shouldn't do it. Here are five classic occasions when delegation is a no-no, or it is used in a way that is detrimental to your working life as a whole.

When you risk losing credit

If there's a big task with a lot riding on it - for example, a big presentation to the board of directors or the task of coming up with a new marketing idea, consider if you really should delegate it. Yes, it's an awful lot of work and it's easier if someone else more experienced or with more time does it, but then you're not just delegating the task in hand, you're also passing on the opportunity to take the credit and earn the respect due when it's completed. If you're after a promotion, recognition or pay rise, then delegation is out of the question on these kinds of key tasks that are recognised by your superiors.

When you've done it too many times before

If you're always delegating to a colleague for whatever reason, there will be an unspoken limit to how many times you can realistically delegate a task before they get tired and will always say "no" to you. Consider delegation to be like asking for a favour (which it is) - too many requests and eventually you'll run out of people who want to help you. The same runs both ways - if you always say no to people, don't expect them to say yes to you!

When you have the time yourself

Delegation out of laziness is the worst kind, and yet it's very tempting, especially for boring or routine jobs that we hate. However all employees should take the rough with the smooth and not shirk the responsibility for smaller tasks. How often do we resent a boss for never opening their own mail or being unable to photocopy their own document even though they have the time and you don't? It may be a relief to hand over all the "grunt" work to the work experience lad, but it certainly won't earn you any respect - muck in with all tasks, and it will increase how well you're liked.

When you're hiding lack of training

A bad time to delegate is when you realise that you can't actually do a job or task because you've either not done it before, are improperly trained, or don't have the knowledge. Don't hide it and delegate it - be open and honest and ask for training. Otherwise you'll be terrified every time the same task comes around, and people will start to wonder where your aversion stems from. Save delegating for when you genuinely don't have time to do something, not because you can't in the first place.

When you need better time management

If you find that you constantly run out of time in the day to do your set tasks and have to delegate them often, then it's time to address your time management skills, since your delegation ones certainly won't need any work! If you delegate because your time management is poor, then it's best to address this root cause of the problem rather than always rely on other people - after all, if they all say no then the job won't get done, and you'll be the one responsible.

Delegation is a wonderful thing when done properly, so use it wisely and don't "call in all your favours" at once. Good luck!