When a task or tasks need to be done quickly in order to meet a certain deadline, or indeed just because the manager wants to complete things as quickly as possible in order to move onto something else or have more leisure time, there is a great temptation for them to do everything themselves. Everybody, whether manager or not, has been in a situation where they start explaining a job to somebody, and then decide it will be quicker or simpler to just do it themselves. Whilst this may save some time in the short term, it could cause problems in the long term.

For one, if a manager does the task themselves rather than delegating it to others, that employee will never learn how to do it. This means that every time it needs doing, the manager will have to be the one to do it. By not taking the little extra time to explain it the first instance, the manager now has to spend a greater cumulative amount of their time in doing the task every time it needs doing. When all these times are added together, it will often work out as many times longer than would be required for an explanation of the process.

Not only do you give off the impression that you do not trust your employees by not delegating tasks to them, but it also means that they do not have the opportunity to acquire new skills. It is often the case that, given the opportunity, an employee will develop a talent for their new-found responsibilities, and it is highly likely that they will eventually become better and more proficient at the task than the manager ever was as they will probably be able to dedicate more time and attention to it.

Effective delegation is a key component of management training, and a number of management training courses will cover the topic of how to delegate in the course syllabus. Being able to delegate though is a skill which only becomes easier with experience and learning to trust employees.