[00:00:07.200] - Imogen
Hello and welcome to Dear Comms, the coffee break podcast where we tackle your biggest corporate comms challenges. I'm Imogen.
[00:00:16.740] - Amanda
And I'm Amanda. We're here to give you practical, no-nonsense advice so you can focus on the things that will really drive influence, engagement, and impact.
[00:00:26.580] - Imogen
Today we've got a question which isn't really comms-related, but more about managing teams, about leadership. Jamie says, my boss says I should delegate more to other members of my team, but they aren't at a level where I feel I can. I always end up redoing the work or undoing the damage caused by poor delivery. What do I do?
[00:00:48.440] - Amanda
Well, the positives of delegation are clear. You have more time to focus on high-priority work. And your team gets opportunities to shine. But we don't do it enough. Why is that?
[00:01:01.000] - Imogen
I think it's because we think we can do it better. Undoubtedly. Because we're, like Jamie, not sure our team is up to the task, because we like to be that person that everyone comes to with a problem, because we don't like the thought that someone else might be able to do our job for us. And, you know, with a lot of teams, for a lot of communicators, it's probably because we don't want to, we have a guilt, we don't want to add more work to our overstretched team.
[00:01:33.660] - Amanda
Yeah, I think the fear that Jamie voices, that they don't feel the team is at the level to do it to the right level, is very common. But if you don't allow the team to try, it's not only going to lead to burnout, yourself and them, but you're also not allowing the team the space to grow. And develop to a level where you would feel comfortable delegating. It's an endless cycle.
[00:01:57.060] - Imogen
It is, and it's a cycle that we really need to break. I think the first thing to realize is that delegation isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.
[00:02:07.880] - Amanda
Absolutely not. You have to start by assessing your team's strengths and weaknesses, identify areas where the team show potential, even if they're not fully proficient yet, and then you can delegate tasks that align with their development needs. And the needs of the team. There's a great article we'll link to in the show notes, which will help you evaluate and empower based on comfort levels.
[00:02:32.610] - Imogen
It's really important to remember that what might be a quick task for you might not be a quick task for a member of your team.
[00:02:40.720] - Amanda
That's right.
[00:02:41.900] - Imogen
You need to ask them how long they think each task is going to take. If it's something that will take you a couple of hours and they say it's going to take a week, You need to go through their processes with them and have a look to see where you can guide them towards a more efficient way of working.
[00:03:00.500] - Amanda
You definitely want to choose assignments that are challenging but achievable with some support. That's going to allow them to grow without overwhelming them. And if you see somebody struggling, don't be like me and jump in too early. You need to help your team develop their own expertise so that they're as quick as you.
[00:03:22.240] - Imogen
I had a great manager who always used to say to me, I want solutions, not problems. That sounds familiar. And so instead of providing answers, they would ask me more questions. Absolutely hated it at the time, used to drive me insane, but it did help me build my critical thinking. And it's the same with your team. Instead of them always deferring to you for the answers, they will start thinking about how to solve the problem themselves.
[00:03:52.790] - Amanda
Almost by osmosis, really. It's also important that you don't make them guess what you want.
[00:04:00.660] - Imogen
We're not mind readers, no matter how skilled your team are, mind reading is probably not up there on the list of their skills and competencies. I think it's one of the worries that people have about delegating to a more junior team is that they're going to spend all their time redoing work that's been done.
[00:04:20.030] - Amanda
Yeah. An easy way to solve that is to start by providing them with a clear list of deliverables and timelines. Give them specific instructions, clear expectations. If they've not done something like this before, use it as a learning moment. Be clear about what you want.
[00:04:42.270] - Imogen
Absolutely. If you don't want to spend your time Wordsmithing titles of slides, for example. Tell your team what you're looking for. Tell them the tone, tell them the length, tell them what it is you want. And when you're giving feedback, it's about explaining the feedback that you're giving. It's not about just handing back a piece of paper with a whole load of red pen all over it. You need to explain your thinking a little bit. Why have you changed this? Why would this work better? And then they can learn.
[00:05:14.960] - Amanda
I used to have a manager. Who had this theory that if she didn't use a red pen and used a green pen, it would be more positive.
[00:05:22.880] - Imogen
You're showing your age, Amanda. We don't use pens anymore.
[00:05:26.650] - Amanda
Oh, well, yeah, this is true. Yeah, track changes. I think the point I'm trying to make is that if things aren't being done the way you want or need it, instead of correcting the results, you could consider just handing it back and asking them to redo it. Channel your inner favorite schoolteacher, if you like.
[00:05:49.100] - Imogen
Who was your favorite schoolteacher?
[00:05:52.240] - Amanda
It was the physics teacher, and it was Campbell Roberts, and everybody loved Campbell Roberts. He was just a funny guy. He was just good company.
[00:06:03.660] - Imogen
Mr. Tyrell.
[00:06:04.690] - Amanda
Was he? So what did Mr. Tyrell teach?
[00:06:08.380] - Imogen
He taught German, which I hated and was very bad at. But he did like '80s sort of hair rock and used to play it in the lessons.
[00:06:17.540] - Amanda
Love it.
[00:06:17.770] - Imogen
So we all loved him. Love him. This teaching, especially if you play '80s rock alongside giving your feedback, it will take longer. But if you are showing them how to improve, it will solidify you in that role that you have as mentor, as coach, and not just someone who gives them things to do?
[00:06:46.140] - Amanda
That's— yeah, I think you've got to— you have got to invest time, got to swallow that inclination to get it done faster because we're all busy, right? We're all juggling many things. You've got to empower your team, grant them the permission to make the decisions related to their tasks. You know, too often teams don't seem to have the initiative you would want them to have, or to follow up on things. They might agree to do something, then miss deadlines, or not complete things, and not tell you till it's too late. This puts you in a position of being a micromanager, and nobody wants to be a micromanager. It's tiring.
[00:07:27.320] - Imogen
If they're not delivering, if they're not hitting deadlines, if they're not talking to you about it, then yes, you have that feeling. You feel you have to constantly follow up nag. If you do that, your team then doesn't feel empowered to take initiative and to take the lead. And so therefore you have to follow up and nag, and it becomes another one of these, these cycles. And I think there are some simple things that you can do to help keep people on track. And that can be something as simple as a basic status tracker, status report, you know, what, what are the priorities? What are the action items? Who's doing what? What's the deadline? It's something we do. With our own clients.
[00:08:10.990] - Amanda
Yeah, I love a tracker. It keeps everybody accountable. It's much easier than individually chasing people. And you can use it to structure your weekly team meetings. You can follow up on what should be done. You can problem solve, collaborate. And actually, you can acknowledge a job well done. And there's lots of different tools out there. You know, we use a simple spreadsheet, but we've also tried Asana, Trello, Monday.com. So there's, there's lots lots of tools to help you out there.
[00:08:42.470] - Imogen
And if you would like to sponsor this podcast, do get in touch.
[00:08:45.290] - Amanda
And any other tool is available.
[00:08:48.020] - Imogen
It's like the BBC around here. Other tools are available. It's important to remember that delegation is not just top-down. Your team also needs to feel that they can feedback to you as well. There shouldn't be a one-way street of delegation. A lot of team members might not feel comfortable managing up, and so you need to support them in that management. So ask them questions, ask them, where am I too involved? Where am I not involved enough? And shift that decision-making back to them.
[00:09:27.300] - Amanda
The check-ins are important, and as you say, asking questions. Can't stress enough how important effective delegation is. It's not only going to ease your workload, but it's going to empower your team. And that leads to knock-on effects in increased productivity, job satisfaction. It's a gradual process. It's going to take time.
[00:09:48.960] - Imogen
It takes work. Like with all good things, it takes work. You can't just give them a list and expect them to deliver. Giving your team tasks is not delegating.
[00:10:00.320] - Amanda
No, you've got to practice it too.
[00:10:02.810] - Imogen
Delegation is about training, about coaching, about supporting others to take your place?
[00:10:09.710] - Amanda
Yeah, I think the best piece of advice I have is start with the smaller tasks, and as your team competence grows, you can entrust them with more complex responsibilities. So they've, they've earned it. They will develop, and the effectiveness and expertise of the team will also grow.
[00:10:31.630] - Imogen
The takeaway for me, delegation is a necessary evil. Jamie talked about not being sure their team was ready to be delegated to, but then that's your job as a manager to make them ready to be delegated to. You need to build them up, you need to support them, you need to help them grow. Your job as a manager is, is to develop your team enough so that they can take your job away from you.
[00:10:58.370] - Amanda
Absolutely.
[00:10:59.330] - Imogen
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Delegation doesn't have to be all or nothing. You start small, you build trust, you give the team the support they need to succeed.
[00:11:10.000] - Amanda
And if you understand your team's capability and provide the right support, you can delegate effectively, even if they're not quite there yet. But you have to invest time to reap the benefits now and in the future.
[00:11:23.410] - Imogen
Absolutely. Let us know how you're doing at balancing delegation in your own team. Similarly, if you have a comms challenge you want us to tackle, do let us know because we'd love to help. Until next time.
[00:11:35.420] - Amanda
See you soon.
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