How to Delegate Work Properly

Working hard is one of the good signs that you are or will be successful someday. But sometimes, we get too much on our plate that we tend to commit mistakes or just not give our full 100%. There’s a reason why most people only work from 8 to 5. That’s the most optimal time to get things done. Sure, people can work longer hours, but aside from it being unhealthy, the quality of the work usually suffers. So if you are doing too much work and you’re starting to see numbers and expense reports on blank walls and mugs of black coffee, then it’s high time to assign that work to other people.

It can be hard to trust other people to do what you usually do. The good thing is, you can start small, and I’ll help you with some good pointers on how to delegate work properly.

Start with the most basic of tasks. Answering customer e-mails, getting your dry cleaning, making the coffee, creating the website blog, or checking the company Facebook page are tasks that are easy enough to delegate with your staff. Then, after the what, the next question is who? Who are the people in your martial arts school that you can trust? Start by steering clear of people who have a bad track record. If you have a slight doubt of a person’s capability of doing a task then trust your gut instinct and look for other people. Choose people who are willing to have more responsibilities. Trust only honest and reliable people. When you’ve delegated the smallest of tasks to people who are trustworthy, then you can move on to bigger tasks until you are more comfortable of delegating more and more responsibilities to your team.

Delegation is not only about passing the load to your staff. It’s also a way to see which people are better suited for higher roles in your martial arts school. It’s also a way to expand your company and train your current staff. To be more efficient in delegating work, here are some excellent pointers:

1. Be clear in what you want done. Be specific in your orders because the opposite can cause confusion and mistakes.
2. Confidence is everything. Never show even the slight shadow of a doubt when you’re delegating a task to your employee. Appear to be full of energy, trust, and confidence. It will push your employee to do better because he or she knows that you believe in his or her capabilities.
3. Aside from clear instructions, set a proper deadline. Deadlines will increase the chance of getting the work done in a timely manner. Or cut-up the work into stages with mini-deadlines so you can track the process of the work.
4. Avoid micro-managing. Delegation should be about trust so stop checking up on everything that your staff does. Follow up with your employees but do it sparingly.
5. Rewards should be given to those who are worthy of it. When your employees do a great job, a simple “job well done” may be the perfect gesture from the boss, but a raise and a promotion can also be another option if it’s highly deserved.

Yes, delegation will help you with lessening your work load, but never do it without a plan. And, whenever an employee of yours asks for more responsibilities, give them the chance to prove their selves. Promoting this culture can boost productivity which will improve your martial arts school overall.