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How to Decide Which Tasks to Delegate
This time, you’re really going to do it.
July 26, 2017
Summary.
Many of us know the vague benefits and aim of delegation — to build teams who can share the workload so that you do the highest expression work that only you can do. But in practice, we hoard tasks and become a bottleneck. Conduct an audit using the six T’s to determine what tasks make the most sense to offload: if a task is tiny, tedious, time-consuming, teachable, time-sensitive, or you’re just terrible at it, delegate it. Check in with yourself frequently (even daily) to examine what’s on your plate and ask: What can you and only you do? How can you delegate the rest? For two weeks, keep a list of all the things you’re doing that might fit one of the six T’s, and notice how much time you can free up for your most important priorities.
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New!
HBR Learning
Delegating Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Delegating. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
The key component of your transformation from a manager into a leader.