How to Know What to Delegate (A Simple Guide)

How do you know what to delegate?

Do you just throw random tasks at people? Or how do you know which specific ones to give them?

In this article, we’ll discuss how to know what to delegate to your team members or employees. There are different factors to consider when deciding, and we’ll explore them so that you can make the best decision.

A few important points to take note of first

Before we get into what to delegate, let’s make sure you and I are on the same page on a few things: first of all, what delegation is.

The definition of delegation

Here’s a good working definition: Delegation is giving authority and responsibility to others over specific tasks, functions, problems, or outcomes.

Often, when we think of delegation, we think of tasks, but it can also include different functions (or processes), delegating an outcome someone is supposed to achieve, or even a problem that someone is tasked with solving.

I’ll generally use the term “tasks” when giving examples, but in general, the principles can apply to the other ones as well.

Delegation is purposeful

Delegation should be purposeful and strategic.

This is important as we look at knowing what to delegate because it impacts how we delegate. Delegation isn’t just throwing around tasks or doling out stuff we don’t like; it’s being purposeful and strategic. It’s about maximizing the skills and the people you have to get the best results for the organization and also growing people.

Make sure when you are deciding what to delegate, you are doing it purposefully, not just to get rid of something you may not enjoy doing.

Factors that help you know what to delegate

Since delegation is purposeful and strategic, we should look at the factors that help us know what to delegate. It revolves around two things: the person(s) and the task(s).

They both go together and combine in different ways. We’ll dive into each one below, but ultimately, you want to look at your and your people’s roles, skills, what motivates/drains, goals, etc., and also at the task, its importance, its repetitiveness, and so on.

In an ideal world, everyone is working on the most important tasks in their roles and doing things that energize them and that they are skilled at (or growing in).  

Not everything always fits into an easy category, so we’ll explore other aspects to look at as well.

That may seem like a lot, but as we go through it, I think it will make more sense. Let’s dive in.  

You and your role

You first want to look at your role as the leader, whether you are the owner of the company, an executive or CEO, or a manager within a company.

If you were hired into a management/leadership position, you have certain results and outcomes that you were hired to achieve. You have specific areas and tasks that you were hired to accomplish. If you aren’t 100% sure what those are and aren’t 100% sure you and your boss are on the same page with those, you want to get that figured out ASAP.

This will help you be more productive and let you know what to focus your time on and what not to (which then you could delegate, if possible).

If you are the owner of a company, for example, you weren’t hired to accomplish something specific—you are the one who sets that. But it’s still important for you to know what is most important for you to do so you can focus on that and delegate or remove the rest.

Here are some questions you can use to help you determine what is most important for you in your job or role.

• What are the core responsibilities and priorities of your position?
• What results are you paid to get?
• What are your most important tasks/functions/duties?
• Thinking of the 80/20 rule, what’s your 20%? What tasks do you do to get the most results?
• What are your key result areas?
• What are things that you in your position MUST do?

Your goal, in general, should be to focus as much as you can on what’s most important for you and to delegate the rest.

You may not always be able to do that, and there may be other work that you must include, but the more you can, the more productive and impactful you will be.

Other people’s roles

Now, look at other people’s roles. Ideally, especially if you are their leader, it should be clear to each person what they are responsible for and what they were hired to do and accomplish.

They should know it, and you should know it. If they don’t, then you need to make sure that happens before doing anything else.

Once you know that if certain tasks or duties or problems fit into someone’s role, it makes sense to delegate those tasks.

Not everything fits neatly into these boxes, of course, and sometimes there are other factors to consider, but it’s a good place to start when it comes to knowing what to delegate.

What tasks do you do well (and others do well)?

Another factor to look at is what you and others are skilled in. The more you can match tasks to what people are good at, the more productive your team and organization will be.

Now, this doesn’t mean you don’t grow people in skills— you definitely want to—but it’s definitely worth considering when deciding what to delegate.

If you have a task that you aren’t good at, unless it’s something that you must do and grow in your position, it can be wise to give it to someone who is good at that type of task.

However, as we’ll talk about more below, just because you (or others) are skilled at something doesn’t mean you should do it. If it’s below your payscale, other people can do it nearly as well, or if it’s not important to you in your role, it can be wise to pass it on.  

For example, you may be great at making pie crust or unloading trucks, but it doesn’t mean that is what you should be doing with your time as the leader.  

What tasks energize and drain you (and your team)?

It’s a good idea to look at what energizes you and others, as well as the tasks that drain you. If there are tasks that drain you every time you do them, it’s wise to remove those, if possible, and pass them on to someone else.

Tasks you hate others may enjoy, and tasks that you enjoy, others may hate. Don’t feel bad passing on tasks.  

The more you can focus on what you and others are skilled at and that energizes you, the more productive you and your team can be. However, as you know, there may be tasks that you have to do as a leader that you can’t pass on. Sometimes, we must do things because we must.

 But it’s something to bear in mind.

(Also, think about this when it comes to skills and what we enjoy: sometimes we aren’t good at something just because we haven’t practiced it yet, or we don’t enjoy it because we aren’t good at it, and it makes us uncomfortable. Just something to note!)

In what areas do others want to/need to grow in?

There’s a couple of ways to look at this.

First, from a leader and business standpoint, you don’t want anyone dependent on you or any specific person. When you leave as a leader, you want your team to be able to function well without you, not fall apart because you aren’t there.

Purposeful delegation can help you achieve that.

On the other side, there are areas that people may want to grow in. They may have certain career goals. They may need it for their current position or future potential positions within the organization.

Purposeful delegation can help them grow in those areas.

So when you are looking at what to delegate, one consideration is if it will help someone grow in an area that they want or need.

If so, it’s something to consider.

What tasks are you doing that others could be doing nearly as well?

Truth is, not everything always fits into perfect boxes, and sometimes we do work that may not be as important as others.

So this is one of the ways to consider what to pass on: looking at what others can do near as well.

Think about the tasks you are doing: are there certain tasks that others can do near as well?  Let’s say 70-80% as good as you?

If so, it could be worth considering passing those tasks on.  

What tasks meet your payroll level (and what tasks don’t)?

Brian Tracy mentioned in at least one of his books that you should think about your payroll level when deciding what to delegate.

For example, if you are paid $30/hour, then you should be doing work that’s $30/hour+ only. If you are doing work that someone on a $20 payscale could be doing, you should pass that on.

Something to think about. 

Are there any tasks you are holding on to for the wrong reasons?

Sometimes, we hold on to tasks because we like doing those tasks.

However, if you’re a manager/leader, if it’s not important for you in your job, then it’s likely you need to let it go.

Think about it. You have limited hours. By focusing on what’s unimportant for your job, you have less time to do what is important.

How important is the task?

I’ve seen it said that if a task is really important, then you don’t delegate it and do it yourself.  

I disagree with that.

If there is a task that is vitally important, and someone is more skilled at it than you are, it may make sense to delegate, or at least involve them, in that task.

If it’s important – doesn’t it make the most sense to give it to the person who can do the best job?  

And remember, delegation isn’t abdication. You are still following up. You are still offering support and help. You are just letting someone else take ownership of it.

And think about it this way, too. What does it tell your team if you only delegate “unimportant’ tasks? It says, “I don’t trust you.”

Is it a repeated or one-off task?

Part of delegating tasks or duties, especially ones that are newer to someone, is that it may take time to train and show them how to do it.

If the task is just a one-time task, it may not be worth the time and effort to train someone to do it because they won’t be doing it after that.  

However, if it’s a repeated task or it’s a long-lasting task, it’s definitely worth considering doing.  

In his book The Manager’s Handbook, David Dodson suggests applying the 6-month rule. He says to look at how much time it will take you to do the task over 6 months versus the time to train someone to do it.

Something to consider!

How time-sensitive is the task?

How soon the task is due can affect if it’s something you want to delegate.

For example, if the task is due soon, and you would have to train someone to do it, you may not have time, so you may have to do it yourself.

If there’s a bigger window, it may be worth considering.

Could it be broken into parts?

Instead of a whole task or project, it may be something that you could break down into parts. For example, maybe someone could do the initial, and you finish it.

Maybe, applying some of the things above, part of the work wouldn’t let you focus on your MITs (most important tasks), but they fit someone else’s role better or someone who is more skilled in certain areas.

Is it keeping you from your most valuable tasks?

We’ve hit on this already, but it’s worth pointing out again.

When you look at the work you do from day to day, are you focusing on your most valuable tasks, or is there other work that keeps you from doing them?

The more you can delegate the work that’s keeping you from it, the more productive you will be.

How time-consuming is the task?

This is especially important if it’s not one of your most important tasks. If you have a task that consumes an enormous part of your time, you may want to consider either delegating the whole thing or breaking it up and delegating parts of it.

Bringing it all together

Delegation is about getting the best results you can from you and your whole team. It’s strategic and purposeful.

The more you and your team can focus on your most important tasks (and some of the other factors we discussed), the more productive you will be.

I hope this guide helps!