Are You Delegating Time-Bound Tasks? If Not, Here’s Why You Should Be

Does the following scenario sound familiar to you? You’re sitting at your desk working when your direct supervisor or a senior leader stops by. They’re delegating a new task to you and explaining the details when you ask them, “When do you need this done by?” Instead of setting a specific deadline, they respond with something like “When you have a chance” or “No rush.” 

What happens next is unfortunate for everyone. Either the employee interprets that answer and the fact it is coming from someone in a position of authority as a reason to work overtime and push aside their other obligations to complete it. Or, they do exactly as the leader instructed, which is not to rush, only to feel caught off guard when the leader asks for it suddenly a few days later.  

In any case, that laissez-faire attitude towards delegating a task can cause undue confusion, stress, and frustration for both the leader and the employee.

To avoid this and the additional consequences of poor delegation, leaders who delegate tasks to employees must always ensure those tasks are time-bound. Let’s dive into exactly what it means to do that.

What Is a Time-Bound Task?

When a task is time-bound, it means that there is a time restriction, and it needs to be completed by a specific deadline. 

The Importance of Delegating Tasks That Are Time-Bound

When you’re in a rush to delegate a task to an employee, you may be focused on just getting it off your plate and skim over the specifics about the task, such as its timeline. The problem here is that employees depend on this specific information about a task to determine its urgency and importance. This helps them accurately prioritize their to-do list and manage the expectations of those impacted by any necessary changes.

So, while it might be another thing to think about, making sure that all the tasks you delegate are time-bound is imperative if you want to maintain the productivity of your employees and the quality of their work.

How To Delegate Better: 4 Tips Leaders Can Immediately Apply at Work

Delegation is a core leadership skill, and like all leadership skills, it can be learned and honed with training, practice, and time. In the meantime, though, the following tips will help you delegate better and set your employees up for success.

1. Pause Before You Delegate

Before you delegate anything, take the time to think through the task and nail down the specifics. To help get you started, ask yourself questions like, why are you delegating this task? What is the importance and or urgency of it? When does it need to be completed? What are the implications if the deadline is missed? By answering these types of questions upfront, you’ll be better able to explain the task, monitor it, and eventually evaluate its success. 

2. Choose a Time to Delegate Where You Aren’t Rushed

Once you’re clear on what exactly you’re delegating and to whom, the next step is to introduce the task to the person you have chosen to do it. To ensure this part of the delegation process goes well, choose a time when you will not be rushed, such as during your weekly one-on-one meeting. You want to be able to explain it without interruption fully and then answer any questions or address any concerns.

3. Remain Actively Involved Throughout the Delegation Process

Just because you have delegated a task does not mean you are absolved of any responsibility for it. You need to remain actively involved in it without micromanaging the employee doing the work to ensure it is completed on time and to the specifications. To do this, hold your employee accountable, make yourself available to offer support or feedback, correct mistakes, and provide in-the-moment coaching.

4. Be Flexible

It is entirely possible that once the delegated task is underway, you realize that the initial deadline isn’t feasible. Whether this is because an urgent client matter comes up or because the scope of the task is more significant than anticipated, this is where you need to be flexible. Consider the implications of the task not being completed on the original timeline. Depending on those implications, you might either need to manage expectations, assign additional resources, or re-delegate the task.