By Lisa Purichia
Partner, Director of Accounting & Retirement Plan Services
Email Lisa
During especially busy times like tax season, an accounting firm like ours depends on effective delegation. But delegation is also crucial — and beneficial — for a wide range of businesses all year round.
Research shows that business leaders who delegate well average a 33% increase in revenue and experience higher employee engagement and lower turnover. Here are some points to consider when you approach delegating in the future …
Too often, leaders view delegation as a short-term solution. They hesitate but then think, “Well, I’m too busy now, so I’ll pass this off just once.” As keynote speaker and leadership coach Dima Ghawi says, you should “recognize (delegation) as a long-term investment that will save you time in the future.” It not only saves you time, but it also empowers your employees with new training and skills, and they may discover different, more efficient approaches to the tasks you delegate.
Mistakes are part of the process. Rather than seeing them as a sign that you should take back control of the task, try to view employees’ mistakes as teaching opportunities for you. This is a chance for you to engage with employees, show your trust and thus boost their morale, leading to increased productivity. Plus, most work requires a degree of revising. As any writer will tell you, writing is rewriting. For filmmakers, it’s all about editing. The same principle applies to any business project.
While it’s tempting to blame problems on a lack of drive on the part of the employee, in our experience, responsibility actually breeds motivation. The majority of workers — especially young professionals — want to do well in their endeavors, and they will bring their A-game to meet higher expectations.
Play to your employees’ strengths and aspirations. An example Ghawi offers is: “Instead of giving admin work to a random staff member, assign it to someone eager to learn project management and gradually increase their responsibilities.” As this recent Indeed article states: “By offering members of their team opportunities to broaden their skills and experience, a manager can encourage employees to stay with the company longer. Also, satisfied employees often produce higher quality work and might be more productive.”
Delegation is about growth. It’s not about substituting for anyone. It’s about strengthening your staff by exposing them to different tasks, helping them better understand their colleagues’ workloads and creating a more productive, empathetic work environment. (Research finds delegation rated as “the second most important skill behind empathy in mitigating employee burnout.”)
In the end, you’ll find you have less stress as a leader, a more equipped team of employees, and a culture of coaching and encouragement.
If we can assist you further with your business affairs, please call us at (317) 608-6699 or email Lisa for further assistance.