What is your biggest concern when delegating work to a team member?

Our reader poll today asks: What is your biggest concern when delegating work to a team member?

• They’ll perform the task poorly/incorrectly – 45%
• They’ll do things differently than I would – 10%
• They won’t finish the task on time – 18%
• They’ll do a great job and “show me up” – 4%
• They’ll feel overwhelmed and get stressed out – 22%

Fear of Failure is Prevalent. 63% of you fear delegating a task because it will be done poorly, incorrectly, or not get done on time. Instead of just taking on the task yourself, reduce these risks with proper training, instructions, and periodic check-ins to see how the task is progressing. The more you delegate and the more your team members learn, the less risk you’ll be taking on and the more other work you can get done. For those of you who fear overwhelming your team members (22%), ask them to share their current priorities and how much bandwidth they believe they have. Conduct a “reality check” with them on their available time and energy. Factor in that new tasks will take them 25-50% longer than they expect. If they’re comfortable with that and the execution plan you jointly develop, delegate the task and monitor their progress.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.