The best leaders understand they can’t “do it all” by themselves.

Yes, a strong leader must steer the ship, but the crew makes the vessel sail in the right direction.

More than that, when leaders delegate responsibilities they empower team members and make them feel more integral to the company’s success.

Delegation is a win-win when done correctly. The email template below will help to engage your employees and make them excited about new roles/challenges. If you prefer to talk with the employee instead of send an email, the lessons contained in the message below still apply.

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Subject line: New opportunity to discuss with you

NOTE: Give the subject line an optimistic tone because the goal is to provide the employee more responsibility as a sign of trust and confidence.

Hi [employee’s first name],

[A bit of small talk; for instance, “Funny running into you last weekend at the movies. Hope you liked your flick. Mine was a snoozer.”]

I want to talk to you about an opportunity with [the particular project and why it matters; for instance, “the Evans account. The project is growing in size and scope, and we need extra hands to finish it out.”] [Then, the delegated task; for instance, “The Evans account has required more data analysis than we anticipated. You’re strong with managing multiple data sets and making sense of it all. I’d like for you to jump in with Kiara and James on our Evans team and help them with the data analysis.”]

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks, in advance, for pitching in. I know you’ll do great.

• Your first name

Deeper insight

The email contains a little small talk but not too much. It gets down to business soon enough and allows the boss to make the “ask” and delegate.

The key are these two lines:

• You’re strong with managing multiple data sets and making sense of it all. 
• I know you’ll do great.

Compliment the employee while delegating the task. If the praise is true, then it’s not buttering someone up. It’s genuine and a way to say, “I believe in you and know you can handle this challenge.”

The lines encourage the employee to rise to the occasion and deliver for the company/organization. And it’s a subtle way to make the employee respect you more as a leader. As in, “Wow, the boss notices the hard work I’m putting in.”

Delegating makes the company run more smoothly and elevates your status as a leader. Use the power wisely.

Featured photo: a2gemma (Flickr)