Learn to delegate as an agency owner – insider tips

Just like you can’t do everything, you can’t delegate everything either. To delegate work effectively, understand that not all tasks are created equal. As an agency owner, your time is best spent on high-level strategy, vision-setting, cultivating and maintaining key client relationships and final creative approval on flagship projects. So, how do you decide what tasks to delegate?

Here’s some tips:

• Recurring tasks: Look at recurring tasks that consume your time, like administrative tasks or routine reporting. These are prime candidates for automation or delegation.
• Time-consuming tasks: Any time-consuming tasks that don’t absolutely require your unique expertise should be evaluated. Freeing up your time from these can allow you to focus on strategic planning or new business development.
• Development opportunities: Sometimes, the right tasks to delegate work are those that offer a new skill acquisition or professional growth opportunity for a team member. This is a win-win, aiding their professional development while offloading your to-do list.

Avoid delegating critical strategic decisions or highly sensitive client interactions initially. The ultimate goal is to free yourself up to be a better manager and an effective leader, not to entirely step away from your core responsibilities.

Once you know what tasks to delegate, the next critical step is to select the right team members to delegate these tasks to. This isn’t about simply assigning tasks; it’s about strategic alignment with your team member’s strengths.

Here’s how to pick the right team members for the job:

• Understand your team’s strengths: Take the time to genuinely understand your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Who on your team has the specific knowledge or existing skills to handle a particular task? Who might benefit from learning new skills by taking on a challenging task? Who has great time management skills and can balance new tasks with their current workload effectively?
• Consider professional development: Delegate tasks that align with a team member’s professional development goals. Companies that prioritize employee learning saw a 34% increase in employee engagement.
• Assess capacity: Ensure the team member you choose has the capacity to take on more work without becoming overwhelmed. Overloading can lead to burnout and poor team performance.
• The “right person”: While you want to delegate, ensuring the right person for the task is crucial for the desired outcome. Sometimes this might mean a co-worker helping out, or a new manager taking on a specific task.

By choosing the right team members, you not only ensure that tasks get done but also empower your team members and build stronger delegation skills across your entire team.

This is where many agencies fall short. You can’t just delegate tasks and expect a perfect final product. Delegation needs collaboration at first, and effective team collaboration needs to include clear communication. It’s the cornerstone of effective delegation.

Here’s some tips on delegating tasks clearly:

• Define the desired outcome: Don’t just explain the task; explain the desired outcome. What does success look like? What is the purpose of this task? This allows the team member to approach the task with a strategic mindset.
• Provide clear instructions: Clearly outline the task, including any specific parameters, deadlines, and available resources. For complex or time-consuming tasks, consider creating simple guides or templates to streamline the process.
• Explain the “why”: Help your team members understand how this task fits into the larger picture, whether it’s for a client presentation or a long-term project management goal. When employees feel empowered with context, they’re more invested.
• Open communication: Foster open communication where team members feel comfortable asking questions. Encourage them to do it their own way as long as the desired outcome is met. An open dialogue reduces misunderstandings and improves the delegation process.

By providing context and clear instructions, you ensure your team members feel confident in tackling the task and working towards the desired outcome.

Delegation is not just about assigning tasks; it’s about entrusting responsibility. Once you delegate work, it’s crucial to trust your team members to complete the task. The idea of delegating tasks to your team is to free you up to do other, more important things. If the tasks are still on your mind, you haven’t delegated, or you’ve chosen the wrong team member for that task.

Here’s how to trust and empower your team:

• Avoid micromanagement: Micromanaging the task isn’t delegation. This undermines trust and hinders professional development. Give your team members the space to learn and problem-solve.
• Empower decision-making: For certain specific tasks or certain projects, empower your team members to make decisions within defined boundaries. This builds confidence and further develops their new skills.
• Allow for learning: Understand that your staff member might not complete the task exactly as you would have. The goal is the desired outcome, not identical execution. Allowing for a different approach can lead to innovation and stronger delegation skills.
• Support, don’t intervene: Be available to provide support if a team member encounters a roadblock, but avoid taking over the task unless absolutely necessary. This allows them to develop new skills and grow.

Delegation doesn’t end when the task is completed. The feedback loop is essential for continuous improvement and the ongoing professional development of your team members. Strategic delegation helps your team learn and grow, and regular feedback accelerates this development.

Here’s how the growth loop works:

• Regular check-ins: Implement regular check-ins without micromanaging. These should be opportunities for your team members to ask questions and provide updates, not just for progress updates.
• Provide feedback: When the task is complete, offer specific, timely, and actionable feedback. Focus on what went well and areas for improvement for future tasks. This constructive feedback is invaluable for their professional growth.
• Recognize and appreciate: Acknowledge the effort and successful completion of the task. This boosts job satisfaction and encourages team members to take on more work willingly.
• Address challenges: If a staff member or co-worker seems to lack confidence or struggles with a task, provide support and training, rather than immediately taking the task back. This is how they truly develop new skills.

Just before we leave you to start delegating, here are some expert tips from an agency owner who grew from solo to 50 employees in three years.

• Start small to build confidence in delegating: If you lack confidence in delegating, begin with small, low-stakes tasks. As you see success, you’ll feel confident to delegate work of greater importance.
• Document processes: For recurring tasks like project management workflows or account management routines, document the processes. This makes it easier to delegate tasks to other team members or even a new manager.
• Embrace imperfection: The final product might not be exactly how you’d do it. Accept that your team members will do it in their own way. The goal is a “good enough” desired outcome that frees your time.
• Feedback loops (again): Task delegation skills take time to learn, but trust in your team and ask them for feedback on the process. Their feedback can often be just as helpful as yours, and it can help make the situation work better for everyone.
• Don’t feel indispensable: A common trap for agency owners is believing only they can do a task. That’s not the case. Learning to delegate makes you a better manager and builds a more resilient and efficient team.
• Lean on project managers and account managers: Utilize your project managers and account managers not just for execution but also for identifying what tasks can be effectively delegated further down the chain.

By embracing these delegation skills and tips, you can transition from being perpetually swamped to becoming a truly effective leader who empowers your entire team, drives team performance, and cultivates a thriving, profitable agency.

Balancing speed and quality in your deliverables can often mean letting go of tasks and trusting your team to pick them up for you. Just remember, you hired your team for a reason – to help you. So let them help you, and let us help you with some powerful hosting designed for agencies. Whether you’re looking to host 1 client website or 100s, we have a hosting plan for you.