The Modern Leader
Effective delegation is crucial to ensure smooth operations in your absence.
- Why it matters: You're never going to be able to do everything, and you shouldn't have to work while on vacation. Delegation is not just about offloading tasks - it's about trust, team development, and sustainability. Proper delegation allows you to take time off confidently, knowing your team can handle responsibilities without you.
The challenge: Delegating isn't easy, especially for a new manager who is trying to take their first vacation since beginning their management role.
- Fear of losing control: It can be tough to let go of tasks you usually handle, worrying that things might not be done "your way."
- Overburdening team members: Without careful planning, delegation can overwhelm your team instead of empowering them. It's not a matter of just dumping everything that's not yet done yet.
- Lack of clarity: Unclear expectations and responsibilities can lead to confusion and dropped balls when you're away. If you don't set your team up for success, you may be disappointed on your return (or worse: bothered while on vacation).
My approach to delegation before going on vacation:
- Identify key responsibilities
- List critical tasks: Determine what needs to continue in your absence and what can wait until you return. Despite what you (or others) think, not everything is critical!
- Match tasks to team members: Assign responsibilities based on each person's strengths and current workload. This may be your boss or a peer, so it's not necessarily just direct reports.
- Communicate clearly
- Set expectations: Provide detailed instructions and desired outcomes for each delegated task. Loop in the appropriate team members who can provide additional context should questions arise while you're away.
- Establish deadlines: Make sure everyone knows when tasks need to be completed. This is part of setting expectations, but needs to be spelled out separately!
- Empower your team
- Provide resources: Ensure team members have access to the tools and information they need. This is often people!
- Encourage decision-making: Trust your team to make decisions and solve problems without your involvement. You may make last-stage judgment calls, but you hired your team for a reason. (Assuming you didn't inherit everyone, but I want to believe you have a great team!)
Lastly, a few final thoughts:
Start early. Begin delegating tasks well before your departure to allow for adjustments. Again - you don't want to just drop everything on them and peace out for a week or two.
Be available (within reason). Let your team know how to reach you in case of emergencies, but encourage them to handle issues independently. Again, you should be the last resort. Your team doesn't want to bother you while you're on vacation! Help them help you.
Express appreciation. Acknowledge your team's efforts both before and after your time off. You know they'll do great, but we all appreciate a little appreciation :)
Accept when decisions are made in your absence, even if they aren't the decisions you would make. Remember: disagree and commit. "I told you so" is never a productive conversation. You may not be thrilled with every decision that's made, but the world isn't going to burn down as a result.