Being a student leader is a lot of work, and sometimes can feel like you’re carrying the entire organization on your shoulders. Delegation can seem like such a simple and obvious solution that it’s not even worth mentioning, yet many people forget that delegating is an option. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we are the only ones who can do something the way we want it done, or that it will be faster to do things ourselves. In the short term, this may be true, however doing so will make your members feel as though you don’t want to rely on them and with nothing to do, they will drift away: poor repayment for all the hard work you are doing! Effective delegation will make your organization run much more smoothly.
- Resist the urge to take everything on yourself. Solicit help from your group members and thank them for their work.
- If your group has officers or sub-branches, make sure to clearly delineate their areas of responsibility at the beginning of the year, and then give them all the work to do in that area! Being responsible for tasks will help them to feel their time is being used effectively and they have a worthwhile position.
- When delegating a task to a group member, be sure to make your directions clear and concise, with a definite due-date. Open-ended and vague tasks often don’t get done, which can lead to frustration on both ends. Allow plenty of time to complete the tasks you’ve given. Don’t put your members on the spot by asking them to do something at the last minute because you didn’t budget your own time properly.
- While delegation helps your group to build essential skills and creates a well-oiled machine over time, it is important to remember that as the leader, some tasks are yours to do. Don’t push all the work onto others, and lead by example! If everyone sees you working hard on your tasks, they’ll work on theirs.