6 People A Leader Should Avoid In Delegation

The transfer of responsibility for specific tasks from one person to another is what is defined as a delegation. When leaders get delegation right it turns the numbers in their favor. 

A Gallup study shows that CEOs who excel in delegating generate 33 percent higher revenue

However, not everyone is an ideal candidate for delegation. Entrusting an important task to the wrong person may have some hurtful consequences. To help you make proper and effective delegation, here are 6 people a leader should avoid when delegating:

Unenthusiastic 

 Passion is the fuel of accomplishments.  A passionate individual draws his motivation from within. The hunger within him is what empowers him to overcome the obstacles outside to get the job done.  A team member that demonstrates no real passion for the task or success of the team is not the right person to delegate important tasks to. He will most likely slow down the pace of work and may also lack the level of patience required for a thorough job.  More so, his indifference or absence of enthusiastic pursuit of group success may infect, frustrate or demotivate other team members.  Someone who is not personally consumed by the desire to succeed may not be able to inspire himself and others to push through obstacles to accomplish set objectives.

Unreliable

 The essence of delegation is to free up the leader for higher-value tasks. It is, therefore, meaningless to assign a task to someone who is wavy and unstable in his ways. Tenacity is a key element of success. Someone who casts a shadow of doubt over his ability to show up when it matters the most or see a job through to completion would most likely create room for failure when saddled with the sole responsibility for a task.  Unreliable people constitute a drag on the progress of a team and goals. People who have over time built a reputation for dropping the ball could be a potential risk when it comes to task execution.

Overcommitted

People who already are neck deep into other priority tasks within the organization that require their full attention are not the best candidate for task delegation. This is because of the danger of possible ineffectiveness due to overstretched capacity. Also, any extra task may easily constitute a distraction from the previous one. " If you chase two rabbits at the same time you will lose both", says a Chinese proverb. An additional task could automatically mean having no task completed at all. You cannot serve two masters at the same time and be effective with both. One must suffer. It is a law of life. In addition to all, an extra responsibility for the overcommitted could result in burnout. 

Disloyal

Someone that disregards authority and doesn't align with the corporate values and goals should not be entrusted with the responsibility of a task.  Doing so first and foremost amounts to endorsement and entrenchment of disloyalty. Secondly, A disloyal team member may through his negative attitude fragment the team thus creating an opportunity for a total collapse of the team. Thirdly, a disloyal individual may paint the management in a bad light and turn the team members against the management. Also, Someone who disrespects authority implies he has no confidence in the leadership and therefore is unlikely to put in his best or make a sacrificial commitment to getting the job done. You cannot fully buy into a task, without first buying into the leadership. that created it. 

Incompetent 

 Every task requires a certain skill set to get accomplished. Delegating the responsibility of getting the job done to people who lack the requisite skills and competencies to complete the task is an invitation to catastrophe. It's like putting a square peg in a round whole.  To delegate effectively and achieve the desired result, people's skill sets and tasks must align. It's important to point out that an incompetent hand can destroy decades of gains with a single wrong move.

Unprepared 

Success is founded on preparation. Success is what happens when opportunity meets preparedness. People who have not developed the mental and psychological muscles to shoulder the responsibility of a task should not be considered in the delegation. The preparation of the mind is as important as having the right competency. For example, Someone who lacks the mental toughness to execute a job may turn impatient with the process and ruin everything by trying to manipulate the system to achieve results. Unprepared people often crumble under the increasing weight of challenges associated with a task. 

Finally, delegation is a critical part of leadership and you can't afford to do it blindly. Bad delegation begets bad results. The information above is meant to provide you with vital clues on how to delegate right and achieve the desired end. 

 Take advantage of it if you found it useful.