Just about every week, we hear from animal advocacy leaders that they are stretched too thin, burning out, and disappointed in their productivity even though they’re already overworking. While there are many causes for this common but dangerous state, the one people confess to most often is quite simply: too little delegation.
Distributing work across our team members seems so simple in theory, but it can be painful in practice. So below is a step-by-step guide to delegate well:
1. Adopt the Right Mindset: Many of us hesitate to delegate because it seems to clash with our values or identities (we are too compassionate and/or hardworking to give other people our work, dang it!). So delegating well starts with adopting a more helpful mindset. For example:
If you don’t like giving up control: You’ll lose a lot more control by limiting your team’s ability to grow their capacity to make an impact.
If you feel like you’ll do it better than others: You got good at what you do because you had opportunities to practice. Your team will only get better if they get the chance to learn.
If you feel like you don’t have time to delegate: It will always feel like there’s not enough time unless you start investing in building your team’s ability to contribute.
If you don’t like giving others unpleasant work: It might be unpleasant for you but just right for others – or at the very least an important opportunity for them to learn.
If you worry you’re passing on your stress to others: It will be a lot less stressful if it’s shared by others, you’ll demonstrate to your team that you trust them, and you’ll prevent yourself from burning out and not being able to contribute at all.
2. Identify Delegate-able Work: Good tasks or responsibilities to delegate are ones that:
Would free you up to do high impact work others are not able to do
Keep slipping through the cracks because you don’t have time for them
Are opportunities for others to learn, grow, or feel a sense of ownership over their work
Can be less stressful or unpleasant if they are shared by multiple people
3. Find the Right-Enough Person: Don’t wait to find the perfect person, but do consider who might be a good enough match by taking into account people’s:
Interests and energizers
Development goals
Skill match
Availability
For best results, bring the question to your team. Explain the task and ask whose role it is best suited to. If it’s unclear, ask people to volunteer or take turns holding the responsibility.
4. Use the DO IT Model: Once it’s time to share the work, set yourself and your team up for success by using Scarlet Spark’s delegation model.
Definition of Done: Clearly define what the needed result or deliverable is. Answer the questions: “How will we know it is done?” and “How will we know it was done well?”
Obligations: Spell out any requirements or constraints (e.g., file format, word count).
Impact: Clarify why this work is important and who or what it affects.
Timeline: Document the final deadline and any check-in points in between.
Keep in mind that the less skilled or experienced someone is, the more feedback and guidance they’ll need along the way. Be sure to factor these checkpoints into your time budget.
And yes, it will take longer to provide support than to do the task yourself today, but it is an essential investment in your future capacity.
5. Reflect and Adjust: Once the task is complete or someone has held their new responsibility for a month or so, be sure to check in and reflect on the experience:
Celebrate any wins or progress
Reflect on any lessons learned
Ask for feedback on how you delegated
Provide feedback based on what you’ve observed
Make a plan to keep improving how you delegate and work together
If sharing work doesn’t come easily to you, create small nudges for yourself and your team (e.g., weekly calendar reminders, meeting workload check-ins) to seek out delegation opportunities. The more often you do it, the more comfortable and even joyful it will become!
Unlock practical insights from leaders in the animal advocacy movement!
Download the Wisdom Exchange Project to gain valuable strategies and real-world advice that will help you create lasting impact.