DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY
WHY IT MATTERS
The role of a leader is to direct others in doing the work, not to do all the work themselves. Leaders see how all the individual pieces fit together, and orchestrate all those involved to fulfill their unique contribution while working towards the same end goal. Leaders that delegate effectively get everyone at their disposal to contribute to their fullest. Their ability to delegate also frees their own time to focus on the bigger picture and on the things that they can uniquely do as the leader. Leaders that don’t delegate effectively limit what the organization can achieve and the growth of the people involved because of their unwillingness to relinquish the work and trust others to get the job done well.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that delegate effectively trust other people to do good work. They don’t feel like they are the only ones who can get a strong result. They readily give to others work they could easily do themselves. They know there are many ways to reach the same destination and allow people to take the path that works best for them. They put their priority on the end result, not on whether people take the same path they may have taken to get there.
Leaders that delegate effectively don’t delegate blindly. They don’t give people assignments they aren’t equipped to handle. They make delegation decisions based on the skills and abilities of each individual. They look at the unique talents and abilities of people and match them to work they can successfully accomplish. When considering workload management, they give people enough to push them outside their comfort zone but not so much that they become overwhelmed.
Leaders that delegate effectively do more than just give people an assignment. They give people a vision. They explain the end result they need to achieve and how it will be measured. They help the individual explore the approach they might choose to take. They set the parameters and constraints within which the person can act and make decisions. They identify potential landmines and pitfalls. They give expectations surrounding timelines, budgets, and resources.
Leaders that delegate effectively choose the right way to communicate work assignments. When projects are small and can be completed quickly they are comfortable using informal delegation. When they need to delegate more important projects they take the time to sit down with people and discuss their assignment in detail, face to face.
Leaders that delegate effectively get out of the way and let people do their jobs. They stay close enough to the work to be helpful, but never so close they micromanage. They don’t hover around their employees. Instead, they put procedures in place to receive updates on work and resolve issues as they arise.
Leaders that delegate effectively use delegation as a tool to not just spread the work, but to develop people. They know people will learn more about the work by actually doing it than they ever will by sitting in a classroom discussing it. They delegate work that pushes people to expand beyond their limits, grow new skills, and gain confidence. They don’t limit development-based delegation to only a few people. They want everyone to stretch, grow, and learn.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
The role of a leader is to direct others in doing the work, not to do all the work themselves. Leaders see how all the individual pieces fit together, and orchestrate all those involved to fulfill their unique contribution while working towards the same end goal. Leaders that delegate effectively get everyone at their disposal to contribute to their fullest. Their ability to delegate also frees their own time to focus on the bigger picture and on the things that they can uniquely do as the leader. Leaders that don’t delegate effectively limit what the organization can achieve and the growth of the people involved because of their unwillingness to relinquish the work and trust others to get the job done well.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that delegate effectively trust other people to do good work. They don’t feel like they are the only ones who can get a strong result. They readily give to others work they could easily do themselves. They know there are many ways to reach the same destination and allow people to take the path that works best for them. They put their priority on the end result, not on whether people take the same path they may have taken to get there.
Leaders that delegate effectively don’t delegate blindly. They don’t give people assignments they aren’t equipped to handle. They make delegation decisions based on the skills and abilities of each individual. They look at the unique talents and abilities of people and match them to work they can successfully accomplish. When considering workload management, they give people enough to push them outside their comfort zone but not so much that they become overwhelmed.
Leaders that delegate effectively do more than just give people an assignment. They give people a vision. They explain the end result they need to achieve and how it will be measured. They help the individual explore the approach they might choose to take. They set the parameters and constraints within which the person can act and make decisions. They identify potential landmines and pitfalls. They give expectations surrounding timelines, budgets, and resources.
Leaders that delegate effectively choose the right way to communicate work assignments. When projects are small and can be completed quickly they are comfortable using informal delegation. When they need to delegate more important projects they take the time to sit down with people and discuss their assignment in detail, face to face.
Leaders that delegate effectively get out of the way and let people do their jobs. They stay close enough to the work to be helpful, but never so close they micromanage. They don’t hover around their employees. Instead, they put procedures in place to receive updates on work and resolve issues as they arise.
Leaders that delegate effectively use delegation as a tool to not just spread the work, but to develop people. They know people will learn more about the work by actually doing it than they ever will by sitting in a classroom discussing it. They delegate work that pushes people to expand beyond their limits, grow new skills, and gain confidence. They don’t limit development-based delegation to only a few people. They want everyone to stretch, grow, and learn.
BELIEFS
- If you try and do everything yourself, you will never succeed. As a leader you choose to delegate, or you choose to fail.
- Leaders are not supposed to do all of the work. They are supposed to help everyone else be successful in doing the work.
- Any leader can do the work of ten people. It takes an exceptional leader to get ten people to get to work.
- People might do things differently than you, but if they get the same result, does it really matter?
- If you give people a chance to succeed, they most likely will. If you don’t, you will never know what good they may have achieved.
- The majority of the time delegation fails it is the fault of the leader for not spending more time preparing the individual to succeed.
- Good delegation should fill the sweet spot between the opposing leadership styles of micromanaging and under managing.
- Delegation requires being strategic about which tasks get delegated to which people based on their capabilities and workload.
BEST PRACTICES
- Give people autonomy to do their work.
- Be comfortable not having direct control.
- Follow up with people to monitor their progress.
- Don’t do people’s work for them.
- Give people authority to make decisions.
- Have a clear process for following up.
- Explain the parameters in which people work.
- Do not hover over your employees.
- Let go of low and high visibility work.
- Trust others to complete mission-critical work.
- Push work tasks and decision-making down.
- Delegate work that matches people’s talents.
- Let people do delegated work how they want to.
- Explain the larger vision before delegating work.
- Delegate all levels of work, not just easy work.
- Do not delegate so much people are overwhelmed.
- Do not require approval for every decision.
- Believe people will rise to the occasion.
- Let people do things they haven’t done.
- Clarify expectations before assigning work.
- Be willing to not be the one doing everything.
- Help other people get noticed and advanced.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I trust other people to do work assignments I traditionally would do, or do I only trust myself?
- Do I let people choose their own way to get work done, or do I delegate work but expect people to do things my way?
- Do I match the right people to the right work, or do I assign people to work that is too simple or complicated?
- Do I delegate sufficiently to push people outside their comfort zone, or do I fail to stretch and grow people?
- Do I spend adequate time explaining delegated assignments, or do I delegate work carelessly?
- Do I ensure people know what is expected when I delegate work, or do I assume they know what I want?
- Do I trust other people to get work done, or do I hesitate to put important work in other people’s hands?
- Do I have a strategy in place to follow up on work I have delegated, or do I fail to follow up?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t delegate work so freely that you assign others to do work that is really your unique responsibility to complete.
- Don’t think that by delegating to other people you relieve yourself of the ultimate accountability for their work.
- Don’t delegate so much to people that they begin to feel they are carrying all the weight while you sit back and just watch.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- I trust other people to get the work done.
- The work gets done well even when I’m not involved.
- I purposely match people’s strengths to the tasks needed to get the job done.
- I am good at laying out a road map for completing a project.
- Setting timelines and expectations is one of my strengths.
- I’ve never been told I micromanage.