Do-It-Yourself Delegation

Tools Required:

• Delegation Quiz (www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_60.htm)
• Levels of Delegation
• Steps of Delegation

Project: Get exponentially more work done while training others to accomplish tasks as well as or better than you would on your own. Increase your time spent on tasks critical to company goals.

Current State: Delegation is more trouble than it is worth. In matters of importance, it is easier to personally complete the task than to trust someone with less experience, skill, or initiative. The problem is that delegation is consequently very directive, and the results are poor. Time to focus on high-level strategy and implementation is spent on lower-level tasks.

Who: Deciding to whom and how much you should delegate is critical to success. Rather than treating the decision to delegate as an either/or proposition, think of it by degrees of trust and expertise. With inexperienced employees, one might provide a simple task, provide clear direction, and regularly measure and verify outcomes. With higher-level tasks, one must invest time and coaching in key employees to allow trust and independent decision-making to be reliable.

How: All delegation involves some level of training and requires good communication and coaching. The old maxim applies: “I do it and you watch; you do it and I watch; you do it alone.” The amount of time required is determined by the complexity of the task.

Step 1

Introduction. When introducing the task, describe the desired outcome. Picture success, and describe what that would look like. Put yourself in the shoes of the person being delegated the task, and answer the why behind the task. Are you directing them to do the task as a convenience for you? Is it a part of their training? How is the outcome impactful for you or the company?

Step 2

Demonstration. Try to delegate outcomes rather than methods. However, if there are prescribed methods, make them clear. If there are guidelines to stay within or even failure paths to avoid, make these explicit.

Step 3

Ensure clarity. Agree on measurement of outcomes and progress and how often you should receive a report. Have the person restate the objective verbally or in writing.

Step 4

Allocate authority. With responsibility for the task, delegate the required authority to carry it out. Inform any parties necessary to remove obstacles to progress on the task.

Step 5

Support. Share your expectations, and give permission regarding your availability as a resource. Let them know that each responsibility you delegate is an opportunity for career growth and for you to focus on what you do best. The deep end is rarely a good spot for those to whom you delegate. Delegation without coaching is abandonment; it leads to their failure and your time being reburdened with lower-level tasks.

Finishing: Delegation is a skill that is developed to increase your own productivity and to grow your team. Invest the time and effort to clarify instruction and training for simple tasks (e.g., SOPs, work instructions, checklists, one-point lessons) or to meet with individuals and teams to clearly define more-complex tasks using project management tools (e.g., Gantt charts, PICK charts, smart goals, or P 2’s MAPP: Mission Aligned People & Process). As you make this investment in your personal productivity, as well as that of your team, your company will show significant improvement.

Scott Ellis, Ed.D., is a partner in P-Squared (P 2). He can be reached at 425-985-8508 or scottellis@psquaredusa.com.