Which Are The Tasks You Should Never Delegate?
As a manager or a boss, there are myriad responsibilities you need to take care of. It is evident that you can’t do every task all by yourself even if you try your best to. That’s where the matter of delegation comes in- entrusting the employees under you to complete certain tasks for you. But how far does delegation of work go? As it turns out, there are certain tasks you must definitely not delegate at any point. Here is a brief overview of what these tasks are-
Criticism and appreciation
As a boss, it is your duty to dole out praise or constructive criticism as and when required. Delegating this task to another junior employee will reflect badly on you as it will show that you don’t want to face your responsibility to be the one carrying bad news or don’t care enough to personally congratulate the employee.
Role in times of crisis or difficulty
If things are going badly for the company, you need to be present to show everyone that you are responsible and in charge. Never delegate this to another employee as it will look like you are being irresponsible.
Training, mentoring and support
Your team will always look to you for guidance and support, particularly when it comes to the process of teambuilding, conflict resolution, provision of mentoring and training. Delegating these tasks will let your team down and show them that you are not accountable.
Social etiquette
There are certain situations in which it would look terrible if you delegated to another individual. Social calls are some of these situations- marriages, paying condolences, etc are occasions you must grace yourself. Sending others in your place, makes the occasion appear trivial and will give you a bad reputation.
Personal competencies
Never delegate to others those tasks which come under your key competencies. Not only is this not a responsible way to behave, it is also inconvenient in the long run as you will become dependent on this person to complete the task. It will also present you in bad light to the employees.
Company values and mission
The company values, vision and mission represent the image of the organization and as a manager or boss it is one of your duties to keep up that image by aligning yourself similarly. It is you who must keep that vision sustained and represent the company.
Interactions with investors
When it comes to the company’s performance, conversations and relationships with investors, fundraising activities, CSR, etc, you must never delegate such tasks to others. Persons such as investors need to converse with you directly and get information from you, rather than from someone who is not responsible to them.
While these are some of the main tasks you should never delegate to anyone else, you will always need to exercise your judgment and discretion to make such decisions. There is no specific formula to know which other tasks not to delegate, but hopefully the ones mentioned above will have given you a fair idea!
Summary
Delegation is great in distributing responsibility and building a successful organization, but there are also certain tasks that managers or bosses should better not delegate. These include communicating appreciation or criticism, interaction with investors, offering training and support, and tasks that call into account the managers own prime competencies, amongst others.
Reshali Balasubramaniam
Head of HR, HR Counselor and adviser at https://jobpal.lk and EFutureTech Systems. Submit your resume online and be contacted by prospective employers.