Thoughts on Effective Delegation
“The first rule of management is delegation. Don't try and do everything yourself because you can't.” – Anthea Turnerl
In order to get things done leaders must delegate to others. Therefore, by definition, delegation is an important part of leadership. The purpose of this essay is to define the elements of effective delegation and discuss the impact of related success factors – for leaders who delegate and professionals who receive assignments. First, let’s consider the various attributes of delegation. In my experience, the following words or phrases describe the various facets of delegation:
- A decision
- Strategy versus tactics
- Relationship between the parties
- The Conversation
- Goals
- Orientation and direction
- Project management
"People and organizations don't grow much without delegation and completed staff work because they are confined to the capacities of the boss and reflect both personal strengths and weaknesses.” – Stephen Covey
A Decision
To delegate or not, that is the question. If you are a leader with a “full plate,” you have to manage your time by delegating assignments to others. You may be tempted to say that the amount of time you invest explaining the assignment to another could be spent doing the work. Be careful of this line of thinking. All successful leaders have a team that supports their leadership. Delegation builds up the skills of your team.
As with leadership, circumstances play a role in mastering the art of delegation. For example, you could have a bona fide emergency in play – maybe it’s a project with a short or immediate deadline. Alternatively, you may have a situation that has a long timeframe. Both conditions require different considerations in terms of your response, although the core of delegation remains the same – you must have a team and resources available to assist you in addressing the situation or challenge at hand.
"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.” – Ronald Reagan
Strategy versus Tactics
When thinking about a challenging assignment to hand off to another, distinguish those aspects that are strategic versus tactical. It is important to separate the minutiae from the significant in solving a problem or taking advantage of an opportunity through delegation. Think before assigning! The first of Stephen Covey’s 7 HABITS is to begin with the end in mind. Questions to ask: What is the goal? How do you define success? What does it look and feel like? Do you have a clearly defined mission or is that work that’s part of the assignment? Do you foresee obstacles that should be mentioned to the one who will do the work? What sorts of skills are needed to complete the mission? To whom can you assign the task? Who can help you make this upfront evaluation? If you can do this preliminary appraisal of the situation, you are more likely to get better results. One more thing—don’t hesitate to ask for help.
“I trust the people who are working with me. I delegate.” – Mario Draghi
The Relationship
Now, let’s look at what it takes to assign a challenging task to a person. What kind of a relationship do you have with the candidate? In some cases you may have to find someone who has the skills to handle your assignment within or outside your immediate circle. Do you trust this person based on your interaction or do you have to work on establishing mutual trust? If necessary, are you willing to be vulnerable with that person by saying that you don’t have a clue about how to solve the issue that you are addressing together? Are you willing to let them experience the pain of not knowing, and give the directive that they have to figure it out on their own so that they can grow their leadership ability? Lastly, do you want this person to succeed and are you willing to work with them, stand by them and give them the benefit of your best thinking so that they can be successful? Consider these questions.
The Conversation
As Susan Scott says in her book FIERCE CONVERSATIONS, the conversation is the relationship. I think the best form of conversation is an open one where you put all the cards on the table. You share what you know and what you don’t know. If you have looked at any possible solutions you explain your findings and insights. Clearly indicate the importance of the assignment in terms of what is at stake. Indicate your preference for how you want to work together on the task including the various touch points for getting updates as well as being notified when problems occur. The other individual has to have the feeling that you have their back but that you expect them to use their skill and experience in completing the task. I also recommend you set up a brief conversation to discuss their preliminary thoughts on approach.
Goal Driven
Assignments get done when they are viewed as SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented and time-specific) goals. The goal itself may be to solve a problem or to take advantage of an opportunity. The SMART goal enables the team to focus its efforts on productive and value-added results. If the requirements of SMART cannot be met this tells the team the objective is not well thought out or that more refined thinking is needed to arrive at a benefit from the assignment. The anticipated results are the prize that generates the passion necessary to overcome obstacles when the work gets really tough. You can tell the team is inspired by the goal when emotions run high and the people look and act engaged and enthusiastic.
"I think one of my strengths is that I can always take advice, and I can delegate. I know a lot of people feel the need to do everything themselves, but I am not one of them.” – Dasha Zhukova
Orientation and Direction
A leader can send people in the wrong direction because of bias and possibly a lack of knowledge. This is particularly acute when the leader is a micro-manager. Most leaders know more than the people charged with doing a task but they are not infallible nor should they be required to know everything. While the leader has a voice in delegating a task, she is required to be judicious as well as discerning. The most important thing for the leader to do is to put the facts on the table as she sees them but encourage the team to validate the facts as best as they can. The leader can point the team in a certain direction but should be open to new ideas and new information as the assignment unfolds. Personally I think the most important orientation a leader can provide is one of inspiration to the team. Tell team members the importance of the assignment, the significance of the benefits if the assignment is completed successfully and that their work is valued.
Project Management>
An assignment is a project. It needs a timeline and reports on progress should be incorporated throughout the duration of the assignment. Good project management keeps people focused and enables the leader and the team to overcome problems and obstacles. It is very frustrating for an individual or a team to be stuck while working on an assignment. Project management provides transparency to assignments that are often very cloudy or opaque during the course of the work. A successful project management system can engender the confidence of many leaders who are micro-managers as long as that leader gives the individual or the team the breathing room to work the project according to plan.
As you can see from the above discussion, effective delegation is a lot more than throwing stuff over the wall and yelling “in coming.” If you are not satisfied with the results that you are getting, then change your approach. Organizing delegation activities into distinct phases can help move the project in a new direction. (A related document for your consideration is an essay I wrote several months ago which I believe will be of value to you: Handoffs are the Key to Successful Execution). Always remember to view delegation as integral to effective leadership.
And, there is more, there always is.
Be genuine.
Copyright 2014 © John J. Trakselis, Chicago CEO Coaching
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