Nutshell: How to delegate effectively

Delegation is a leadership skill that’s fraught with potential pitfalls. That’s why it’s helpful to see it a process that we can practise and develop.

Delegation. We know what it means, of course, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to do. As leaders, it’s simply part of the deal, part of the shift from “doing” – focussing on our own work and tasks – to “enabling” – getting things done through other people.

Because that means letting go and using our judgement about when and how that letting go is appropriate, it can feel a bit daunting.  There are a whole host of personal biases and insecurities that can get in the way of us making the decision to delegate at all. And then we have to make sure we get it right.

Good delegation is not about simply handing over a task. We need to think carefully about execution, taking the time to:

• evaluate the delegation in the first place.

• assess who might have the skills, aptitude and bandwidth to take something on.

• brief them properly.

• evaluate how it’s gone so that both sides can learn for the future.

That’s a lot to take on board. So it can help to see delegation as a process with a series of steps we can use like a checklist to help develop our practice. The Future talent Learning six-step delegation process is here to help.

Start with purpose

If we’re not clear about why we’re delegating, then it’s hard to explain that to others.

We need to think about the big picture and what’s at stake. What do we want to achieve? Is it about freeing up our own time? Are we providing a development opportunity for a team member? Are we looking to reallocate tasks across a group?

Taking this first important step will set the right tone for what we want to delegate and to whom, and make the briefing stage easier when we get there.

Identify tasks

Focusing on purpose will already have given us a good idea of what we want to delegate, but it’s a good idea to check this initial thinking.

When identifying tasks, we need to remember that key question: where and how we can add most value? We may even have to pass on tasks we enjoy doing if it will free us up for tasks that only we can do.  

The six Ts

Career strategist Jenny Blake has developed a useful checklist to help us overcome our tendency to “hoard and bottleneck”.

She encourages us to conduct an audit using six Ts to help us decide what we can and should delegate:

1. Tiny: It might seem easier just to get on with small things such as organising meetings or booking a flight. They might seem inconsequential but, together, they can soak up a lot of time. If we can identify someone else – either internally or externally – to do them for us, it’ll help to keep us in full flow without being distracted.

2. Tedious: Tasks that are relatively straightforward and simple – such as updating that spreadsheet – are probably not the best use of our time.

3. Time-consuming: More complex tasks that take up a lot of time might not need our direct involvement at every stage. So, let others do the heavy lifting on that research project, and we can step back in when decisions need to be made and next steps agreed.

4. Teachable: Even quite complex tasks can usually be broken down into sub-tasks and even systematised or made into a process that can be taught to others.

5. Terrible at: We can’t be good at everything and one of the joys of teamworking is that there will be others who can compensate for our “allowable weaknesses”. So, we shouldn’t feel bad about delegating preparation for that presentation to someone who has a better grasp of PowerPoint.

6. Time sensitive: Tasks that are time sensitive might compete with other priorities. If we delegate some of them, they can be done concurrently.

There may be times where we need to delegate basic admin or other straightforward tasks, but, where we can, we should aim to delegate interesting work too.

Think about what our team needs to achieve as a whole, and how that might break down into more or less interesting tasks that can be shared out fairly.

It’s also good practice to delegate whole tasks or projects rather than disjointed parts.

For example, if we need to find a new supplier, consider delegating the whole process from research through to shortlisting and involvement in the decision, rather than having someone dip in and out at different stages. As well as making briefing more straightforward, it will give people a sense of ownership and motivating levels of agency and autonomy.

Find the right person

As we’ve already seen, a key element of delegation that delivers the right outcomes is to match the tasks to be delegated with people with the right skills, experience, strengths and commitment.

When time is tight, we might want to go with the option that will deliver the best outcome in the (limited) time available. Or, if the risk associated with a project is high, we might want to pick a known quantity.

But delegation is also about providing development opportunities. The right levels of stretch and challenge will help people to learn new skills, improve their performance and also build team capability.

This might be more time-consuming for us but it can be an investment worth making. For example, asking a team member who tends not to contribute in meetings to chair the next team meeting can (with the right support) help that person to develop more confidence in group discussions.

People will also need the time and space to be able to take the task on, which might involve some negotiation with them early on.

Delegation and coaching: the delegation dial

For coach Sabina Nawaz, delegation often has to come with coaching built in. She has developed her delegation dial to “evaluate employee skills and guide tasks while still empowering the employee to be responsible for the final deliverable”.

We first need to find out how much someone already knows about the task at hand. Then we need to adopt a style of delegation that matches that person’s competence level.

• With a less experienced colleague, that might involve having them shadow and observe us while we do something ourselves (Do) or giving them precise instructions (Tell).

• In the middle, it’s all about the ‘why’, reinforcing context and shared ownership (Teach).

• At the other end of the dial, we might prompt someone to think about what they’ve learnt to reinforce their autonomy (Ask) or simply be in the slips in case we’re needed (Support).

The dial can also help us to support someone to move through the stages as they learn how to do something new and become more competent at it. We may start out to the Do/Tell end of the dial, but the aim is to move along to just playing a supporting role.

Brief clearly

If we are not to setting people up to fail, we need to brief them properly, set clear objectives for the delegated work, the timescales involved, the outcomes expected and any boundaries that need to be respected.

For simple, straightforward tasks, this could be a matter of sending an email or having a quick chat. For anything more complex, we might want to have a dedicated briefing meeting.

This is not just a matter of delivering a brief, but of making sure it’s been received and understood, giving the person we’re delegating to the opportunity to ask questions, clarify and agree with us what needs to happen and when. The more context we can give about why the task is being delegated and why it’s important, the better the chance of success.

The style of briefing we use is also important.

Bestselling author Stephen Covey suggests that delegation should be “focused on results instead of methods”. Agree those objectives, but don’t get hung up on the detail of how the work is to be done.

Be on hand for support, and certainly provide any training or additional resources that may be needed, but avoid giving step-by-step details about how the work should be done. Let people tackle things their own way.

As long as we get the result we need, tasks don’t have to be done our way. With the outcomes and ground rules established, new perspectives can only be a positive. The former US General George S Patton said: “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” He’s right.

Responsibility and authority

Most of us will have been in a situation where we’ve been tasked to do something, but didn’t have the authority to see it through without constantly having to refer decisions up the line.

This lack of empowerment is not a recipe for effective delegation or motivation. It also means that we may end up being more involved than we want or should be. 

When we delegate, we need to be clear not only about the responsibilities we’re passing on (what we want someone to do), but also about the level of authority that person has to get it done (the ability to do something without first getting permission from someone else).

Ideally, we want to foster cultures where our people feel able to make decisions or act, knowing when to ask questions or check in with us, but having as much autonomy as possible once we’ve established the right parameters.

Some organisations have their own schedules or schemes of delegation for certain tasks.

For example, it’s common to establish who can authorise payments to suppliers up to certain levels. But it’s a principle that can be extended to all delegated tasks or decisions.

The simple DRAG model can help leaders to be clear about the levels of authority team members can deploy for various tasks.

It also helps leaders with their comfort levels around letting go, and to hold the line where they need to keep hold of tasks for themselves; for example, something that might involve confidential information. 

The four quadrants of the model each suggest a different authority level.

Some things are simply off limits (Don’t go there). Others have become a routine part of a person’s job (Go for it!).

In between are the more finessed options of Recommend, then act and Act, then advise.

Leaders can use the model to balance control vs autonomy and offer clarity about expectations.

Check in and review

While we do need to let go and avoid micromanaging, we also need to agree some protocols for checking in to make sure the delegated task remains on track, in terms of both quality and schedule.

Providing the right level of support (so that people don’t feel abandoned) while keeping as hands-off as possible (to let them get on with things) can be a tricky balancing act. We should resist the temptation to check in too often or to intervene unless absolutely necessary; instead, we should encourage people to come to us if they have queries or concerns.

For larger tasks, agreeing times for review or staging points can be part of the briefing process. It’s sensible to review how things are going at regular intervals rather than leaving everything until right before the deadline.

Reviews don’t always have to be big set-piece meetings, but might also include quick emails to check on progress more informally. This all helps reviewing to be seen as a collaborative, constructive process designed to take stock and course correct as necessary.

Review against established goals and timelines to keep things focused and objective. We may need to draw on our reserves of active listening, questioning and delivering constructive feedback. 

The aim is to create open, two-way dialogue about progress that engages the other person in the process. For example, through mutual exploration, we may decide that we need to revisit our original objectives or timelines.

Evaluate

Once a task is complete, we need to evaluate how it’s gone. This is a stage that’s often ignored but, if delegation is to be about learning and development (for both parties), then it’s an important part of the process.

When a task is completed, we need to show appreciation for the work that’s been done. We also need to identify things that have gone well or anything that has gone less well. This will provide a useful guide for people to improve.

Like so many other leadership skills, delegation is about making judgements about the best way to tackle a particular task or situation. That’s why it can be difficult, whether our own personal biases or preferences are getting in the way or we simply get the mechanics wrong.

Following a process or checklist might seem like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut when the decision involved is clear-cut, the task simple and the risks are minimal.

But building our appetite and capability for delegation when the going is good will help us to develop the muscle memory we can rely on when the stakes are higher and we might have to make some tough calls under pressure.

Delegation is a superpower for ourselves and our teams. Making the most of it and getting it right is a sure-fire way to boost motivation, performance and success.

Test your understanding

• Outline the six stages of Future talent Learning’s process for delegation.

• Identify and explore two of Jenny Blake’s six Ts of tasks that can be delegated.

• Explain what the “R” in the DRAG model stands for.

What does it mean for you?

• Consider something you’ve delegated recently. To what extent did you follow the Future Talent Learning process identified above? What might you change in future?