6 Ways to Improve Your Delegation Skills as a Leader

As an HR leader, delegating tasks can feel like a dilemma: Do you complete the task yourself or entrust it to a team member?  

No matter what you decide, mastering the art of delegation is crucial for effective leadership. According to SHRM research, 91% of U.S.-based HR executives surveyed listed delegation as an expected behavior of leaders. Delegation enables leaders to use their team’s strengths and help team members grow and improve. By delegating tasks, leaders provide opportunities for team members to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and gain experience. This also enables leaders to personally focus more of their time on strategic tasks. 

Why Delegation Matters: Delegation involves more than just offloading your routine tasks. It requires entrusting responsibilities to team members, empowering them, and cultivating a sense of ownership. For example, a CHRO might delegate preliminary candidate interviews to senior HR managers, freeing up time to focus on strategic HR planning and board meetings. This not only improves team productivity but also helps develop team members’ skills and confidence. In a global corporation, the CHRO might delegate regional HR strategy development to local HR leaders, encouraging tailored approaches and collaboration. 

Here are six ways you can improve your delegation skills as an HR leader. 

1. Assess Your Team’s Strengths and Weaknesses 

Before delegating tasks, it’s essential to understand your team’s capabilities. Conducting a skills assessment can help determine who is best suited for each task. For instance, a CHRO may identify a team member with strong analytical skills to handle detailed workforce analytics.

2. Define the Task and Expectations Clearly

When delegating responsibility, it’s crucial to provide clear and specific instructions. For example, the CHRO might explain the importance of a new onboarding process to the team, helping employees see how it fits into the overall HR strategy. Specifying the metrics for success in initiatives such as a new employee wellness program ensures everyone knows what they should be working toward. Additionally, providing necessary tools and information for a task, such as conducting a benefits review, can help team members perform efficiently.

3. Empower and Trust Your Team

Empowering your team is essential for successful delegation. Encouraging autonomy, such as allowing the HR team to develop its own strategies for talent management, fosters innovation and ownership.

Here are some ways to build team trust:

• Encourage Decision-Making: Give your team members the authority to make decisions related to their tasks. This will develop a feeling of personal empowerment.
• Provide Resources: Ensure that team members have access to the necessary resources and support. This could include training, access to information, or permission to collaborate with other departments.
• Build Confidence: Show confidence in your team members’ abilities. Acknowledge their expertise and encourage them to take on new challenges. This can be done by providing positive reinforcement and opportunities for professional growth.
• Create a Supportive Environment: Build a culture where team members feel safe taking risks and making mistakes. Encourage them to learn from these experiences and provide guidance when needed. This helps build resilience, as well as a learning mindset. 
  

Providing support without interfering in day-to-day progress ensures that team members feel guided yet independent. Avoiding micromanagement allows the team to deliver effectively.

4. Communicate Effectively  

Maintaining open lines of communication is key to successful delegation. Regular team or one-on-one check-ins, such as weekly meetings to discuss progress, will help address challenges and facilitate feedback. 

5. Provide Constructive Feedback 

Feedback is essential for growth and improvement. Employees won’t know how to improve without direct and clear lines of communication with leadership.

Here’s how to provide detailed and constructive feedback when delegating to team members:

• Be Specific and Objective: Avoid vague statements. Instead of saying, “Good job,” specify what exactly was done well: “Your detailed analysis on the workforce trends provided valuable insights for our strategy.”
• Address Both Strengths and Areas for Improvement: Highlight what was done well and what could be improved. For example: “Your presentation was clear and engaging, but consider incorporating more data visuals to support your points.”
• Offer Solutions and Guidance: When pointing out areas for improvement, suggest specific ways to address them: “I noticed the report was missing some key metrics. Let’s work on developing a checklist to ensure all important data is included next time.”
• Focus on Development: Frame feedback as an opportunity for growth rather than as criticism. For example: “Your conflict resolution skills are improving, and I’d like to see you take on more challenging cases to develop further.”
• Encourage Two-Way Dialogue: Allow team members to share their perspectives and ask questions. This ensures they fully understand the feedback and fosters a collaborative approach to improvement.
• Follow Up: Check in regularly to see how team members are applying the feedback. This shows you are invested in their development and also reinforces accountability. 

6. Balance Delegation with Accountability

Balancing delegation with accountability is crucial for ensuring that tasks are completed effectively and that team members remain responsible for their work.

Here are some strategies to achieve this balance:

• Set Clear Expectations: Before delegating, ensure team members understand their responsibilities and the standards expected of them. This sets a clear framework for accountability.
• Regular Progress Reviews: Schedule regular check-ins to monitor progress, address any issues, and provide guidance. This helps keep the team on track.
• Provide Support and Resources: Make sure team members have the necessary tools and resources to complete their tasks. This reduces the risk of failure.
• Implement Accountability Measures: Develop systems to track task completion and performance. For example, using project management software to outline due dates and note project statuses can help monitor progress and hold team members accountable for their tasks.
• Encourage Ownership: Build a culture where team members take ownership of their tasks and feel responsible for their outcomes. This can be achieved through empowering employees and recognizing their contributions.
• Learn from Mistakes: Use any setbacks as learning opportunities. Address issues constructively and discuss how to improve in the future, reinforcing the importance of accountability without discouraging your team. Promoting a supportive environment where it’s safe to fail ensures that team members feel comfortable asking for help and offering support. 

Fostering a Culture of Delegation 

Mastering delegation not only optimizes company productivity, it also nurtures a supportive and dynamic team culture. It’s a skill that, when refined, contributes to the growth and success of both the leader and their team.

Creating a culture of delegation within your team encourages shared responsibilities and collaboration. On an individual level, delegation is an excellent tool for professional growth. Aligning tasks with team members’ career aspirations supports their development. Assigning stretch assignments, such as a challenging employee engagement project, pushes team members out of their comfort zones. Mentorship opportunities, such as guiding a junior colleague through program development, also supports growth.

Remember that delegation skills can always be refined. Seeking feedback from your team on your delegation style provides valuable insights, while reflecting on past delegation efforts helps identify successful strategies and areas for improvement.
 

Lucinda Smith is an executive coach and advisor, as well as a SHRM Executive Network executive advisor. Previously, she was a senior executive at AGCO Corporation.