8 steps to successful delegation
- Define the task
Be absolutely clear about the role or task that you are delegating.
Spend fifteen minutes typing out exactly what you want them to do. This will be time well spent however swamped in work you are.
- Select the individual
Make sure you are delegating the right task to the right person.
Can they do what’s required?
What are they going to get out of it?
- Empower them to do the task.
Position the task so they feel that they are getting a reward, not a punishment.
Consider using the status meeting to ask what jobs people would like to take on.
- State the required results.
Be specific about:
- The measurable objectives.
- The key performance indicators.
- Deadlines/timescales.
Delegate the end result, not necessarily the way to achieve it. Only offer guidance on how you’d approach it (if asked).
- Consider what resources are required.
Agree what resources from other departments they’ll need to get the job done.
- Get their commitment that they can meet the specified deadline.
If they feel empowered and you give them ownership of the job you will get the most out of them.
Consider if they should supply you with a plan of action for approval.
Agree a status meeting on the project, and until then, try not to interfere.
- Support and communicate.
Give them the necessary authority – as appropriate.
Ensure that they can come to you for support/input/clarification.
Inform their line manager (if applicable).
- Feedback on results.
Agree an evaluation meeting once the job is complete to discuss how the task was managed.
Don’t delegate by email, and avoid the telephone where possible. Both can cause resentment, confusion and misunderstandings.
Effective delegation/briefing to the whole team
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- Be clear about outcomes.
Be very clear what you expect and when you expect it. Even if you have to brief the team three times to achieve clarity, do so.
- Be flexible about the means.
You may think you are the only person who knows how to do anything properly. But let your team surprise you: they may even come up with a better way of doing the task.
- Let go.
Do not check every five minutes to see how the team is getting on.
You will need regular updates, but if you have too many of them the team will spend all their time preparing updates for you, not doing the actual work.
- Be available.
Encourage the team to talk through any issues they have. Do not dictate the answer to them: help them discover the answer themselves.
- Stretch the team.
Pressure is good. That is how people find a sense of accomplishment, find new and creative ways of doing things and develop new skills.
But if pressure is good, stress is bad. The difference is control.
As long as they feel under control they will experience pressure, not stress. Delegating well gives them control and avoids stress. You will know when you have overstretched them because they will complain.
- Never delegate the blame.
Do this and you will create a dysfunctional and political team that does no more than cover its backside.
You can delegate authority, you cannot delegate responsibility. You are always responsible for the outcomes of your team.
- Delegate the praise.
This strengthens you, because it builds loyalty, trust and respect from your team.
It also shows your bosses and colleagues that you are a smart and effective boss. By delegating praise you attract praise to yourself.
Myth and reality
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Myth
“It will take me longer to brief it than it’ll take me to do it.”
Reality
In reality this is very rarely the case. The delegation meeting should take no more than 30 minutes – and most jobs take many hours/days to complete.
Successful delegation frees up your time to focus on other priorities.
Plus it improves the team’s skills and capability.
Myth
“The job won’t be done as well as if I did it myself.”
Reality
Actually as two people are now involved in the process the result is often much better.
‘Two minds are better than one’
Myth
“They’ll make loads of mistakes and I’ll have to take the responsibility.”
Reality
By checking their work you are more likely to notice errors than if you were checking your own work.