What is the Best Way To Delegate in Group Tasks?

When it comes to working in a group environment, especially leading a group environment, one of your best tools is the ability to delegate. Delegating is a skill. It has a number of short and long-term benefits that strengthen the group and prevents individuals from becoming overwhelmed.

What Is Delegating

Proper delegation means sharing a workload as smartly as possible.

One of the traps of a group project (on an academic or professional level) happens when a single person, usually the leader, takes on too much work. This person is usually qualified for all or most of these tasks. However, they simply have too much on their shoulders. They become over-encumbered and begin experiencing a string of failures since it’s not humanly possible for them to give 100% for the many, many tasks they are trying to do.

By delegating, a leader or group is dividing up tasks based on the group’s strengths, rather than an individual’s.

Why To Delegate

The saying goes, “Many hands make light work.” That is definitely the case here. Having everyone in the group pull weight increases efficiency, creates greater project longevity, and fosters feelings of empowerment and inclusion within the group.

If everyone has a stake in the project, they feel an increased sense of responsibility and unity. They feel as though their personal accomplishments are building into something larger than they are.

A project lead who knows how to delegate will have a smoother time running things. They will be free to focus on supervising, and on tasks tailored to their specific skill set.

How To Delegate

When beginning a new project, it’s important to have a baseline understanding of individual talents and specialties within the group. If you are a leader, take the time to get to know the people in your team. This additional insight will help you assign roles and tasks to the people who are best suited for them.

Be clear on expectations, and where possible, provide the “why” and “how” for the project. Everyone views things through their own personal lens, and you want to avoid any miscommunication or conflicting ideas of what the final project should look like.

Also, be aware some tasks should not be delegated. Be prepared to handle things diplomatically. Be prepared to say “no”.

The Best Way

Properly delegating is sometimes the difference between a project’s success or failure. It is especially relevant to the leader’s well-being as they juggle many projects or tasks. That’s why it’s so essential to build connections, assign tasks, and let everyone in the group become involved through careful delegation.