“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”
― John C. Maxwell
Throughout my career, I have witnessed several forms of delegation. Some leaders were very effective at delegation whereas others were not so effective. If you think of some of the leaders or managers you have worked with, you can probably tell us why each person was more effective at delegating than the other. What did the effective manager or leader do differently?
Delegation can be a very powerful tool in empowering employees and assigning work to the most appropriate person with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to produce the best work. When I was learning how to do CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), one of the first steps you do is to call for help and better yet if someone else is available you would say, “You in the blue shirt go call 911. Are you going? Get back to me.” The instruction is very specific and ensures that the person is going to follow through. Delegation is not sending an email and pleading for help. You may not know if the person or group of people have read the email, what their capacity is, or what their skill set or interests are.
During a time when employees and leaders are asked to do more with less, delegation is the key to allowing you to focus on where your greatest return on investment is.
Are there tasks that others can do better than you?
Are there tasks that require only your attention?
Are there tasks or research that can be done before you make a decision?
If you said “Yes” to any of the questions, you can start delegating some tasks to others but keep the following secrets of effective delegation close at hand:
- Set clear expectations of roles and responsibilities. If the person you delegate a task to does not understand what their roles is or what the expectations are, they are bound for failure. As the captain at the head of the ship, you will go down as well if you do not course correct. Clear expectations minimize disappointments and misunderstandings. How much freedom does the person have to make decisions? Do they have to check in with you or the team before proceeding? Empower the people who work for you by letting them know what you need.
- Share your vision of what you want to accomplish. The more specific you can be about what you wish to accomplish, the more clarity you provide to your people. They will be better able to help you accomplish the vision. They may even have suggestions in how to achieve it. When your people share your vision, they will be motivated to help achieve it because it has importance to them.
- Ensure you delegate the whole task and set milestones for check in and progress. There is nothing worse than someone delegating something and then watching or questioning your every move. Delegation is not micromanagement. Micromanagement is suffocating and stumps creativity and innovation. The person you delegated to will feel as though you do not trust them to get the job well.
- Delegate the right work to the right person. Delegation is about providing meaningful work where a person feels they are taking on more responsibility not just adding to the amount of work they already have. Delegate to the person who has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the job well. Reassure them that you will be there to support them if required. Not only will they feel empowered but you as the leader will also look like a superstar!
- Be specific. When assigning a task, ensure the person has all the information and resources to get the job done. Ask them to repeat back to you what you have asked them to do. Clarification ensures that the person you delegated to have a clear understanding of what it is you want done. People cannot read your mind so tell them what you want.
People often have more skills and abilities than what you may give them credit for. Chances are the people who work for you have a greater potential than they are even aware of. Why not safely empower, stretch them, and build their capacity to do great things?
“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”
What delegation skills have you gained that make you an effective manager or leader?
Leave a Reply