Is it important to recognise that delegation is the sign of a good leader, not the sign of someone who cannot deal with their work load. 

Passing on tasks to others in fact highlights many positive skills. It shows that you trust your team members and highlights your ambition to achieve. There is only a finite amount you can achieve alone; whereas enabling those around you will increase your value.

Team members will enjoy the responsibility, and will work hard to show you that you have made the right choice by putting the task in their hands. It is also a massive pat on the back, as it confirms they have the necessary skills to carry out the task. If some training is required, it shows that you believe they can do the task and that belief will make your staff want to please you.

3 Steps to delegation

1, Identify tasks

The best things to delegate are common tasks that take up your time.

After initial training the repetition of the task will keep it fresh in the mind, and will free up a large amount of your time.

2, Choose the right person/people

You should know who has the right skills to take care of a task. If not, simply ask other members of the team who is good at spreadsheets, or who has a keen eye for analytics.

3, Build up gradually

Don’t just offload all your work in one fair swoop, pass things over one at a time. Ensure your colleague is comfortable with the task and requires minimal assistance, and move on to your new tasks gradually.