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Seven things leaders shouldn’t delegate

Knowing when and how to delegate is a key trait of good leaders, suggests Bernard Marr, LinkedIn Influencer, Keynote Speaker, and Leading Business and Data Expert. It shows trust in employees and ensures that you are focusing your own time and skills in your zone of genius. That is, the tasks that only you can do.

However, there are certain things that should never be delegated, because they will make you too far removed from your team, open you up for criticism, or ultimately paint you in a bad light. An article by Marr has developed a list of seven tasks that he suggests a leader should never delegate out to the team.

First on the list is “Core functions or responsibilities.” A company or an individual should never delegate their core competencies to their employees, suggests Marr. As an employee, if you outsource these tasks, your manager may wonder why he or she needs you at all. As a company, you may find yourself held hostage if you outsource and your partner leaves or demands more money.

Second on the list are two very opposite things: Praise and discipline. Employees will tend to trust and be more loyal to a manager who gives them praise and incentive, and the higher up you are in a company, the more important it is to do these activities yourself. On the other side of it, while disciplining employees is potentially a manager’s least pleasant task, it should not be passed off to someone else.

Read on.