Emerging Leaders: Four decisions for first-time delegators

'Being able to delegate effectively is critical to your success,” says Alice Katwan, vice president of sales, North America west with Genesys. When I interviewed Katwan for a leadership webinar in which our agenda was driven entirely by audience questions, one participant, Susan, asked: 'What advice can you provide on delegating key elements of your role to others?”

Recalling her early supervisory roles, and the coaching advice she's offered other new managers, Katwan says it's typical for first-time delegators to struggle with letting go of responsibilities. But you don't have to.

'The most successful leaders don't try to do it all,” says Katwan.

Here are four decisions you can make, right now, to step away from day-to-day tasks and delegate with confidence.

Decision 1 - Admit that delegating is crucial to your success

'As you advance in your career and take ownership of larger projects, it becomes increasingly difficult to juggle your responsibilities and maintain the quality of your work,” Katwan says.

Avoid delegating, and you'll become a barrier to your own career success. Once you make the decision to delegate more, you're not only freeing up your time and getting more done, you're also making a strong commitment to your career growth.

As Katwan encouragingly reinforces, 'Delegating to others is crucial to your own career success.”

Decision 2 - Invest the time

'Delegating takes more time up front,” Katwan acknowledges. If you're a first-time manager transitioning into your new role, you're probably feeling stretched by your workload.

There are times when it will seem more efficient to simply accomplish a task yourself. But as a new leader, your top priority should be looking to the future, and setting the vision and direction for your team.

'In the long run,” says Katwan, 'delegating will save you time and allow you to focus on the bigger picture.”

Decision 3 - Believe in your team

If you hoard tasks that could be delegated, it sends a message to your team that you think you're indispensable and that they're not up to the task. Keep this up, and they may start to believe you don't trust them.

For your team to succeed, you need to let go.

'Tell your team that you believe in them, and that you value their work,” says Katwan. As you hand over various responsibilities, she recommends, 'Let them know you want them to succeed and grow their careers, too.”

Decision 4 - Encourage your team to contribute ideas

Next, you can begin to create a more collaborative environment by including your team in important decision-making.

'Include your team in identifying solutions so that it's a group effort,” Katwan says.

Katwan models this philosophy by asking team members to contribute ideas and figure out how to execute on key initiatives.

'Be an advocate for cooperation and collaboration,” she says. 'If you include everyone in the process of creating ideas, goals, and targets, you make it a more fun environment, and everyone plays a part in the team's success.”

Being an effective manager requires you to delegate more, which starts with committing to these four decisions. In doing so, you'll not only free up your time to focus on bigger-picture initiatives. You'll also build a capable, self-reliant team.

l Jo Miller is editor of BeLeaderly.com and CEO of Women's Leadership Coaching Inc.; @jo_miller