Delegating Smartly

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From NetSpeed Leader Volume 17, June 2004

Sometimes delegation is overlooked as a supervisory skill that needs development. Even in organizations where hiring, training, and coaching skills are taught and valued, delegation skills may be taken for granted. Are your supervisors skilled at delegating? These are signs that they may need help.

Signs of Delegation Deficiency

1. Slow decision making—projects stalled while awaiting approval
2. Managers spending time on low-priority work
3. Missed deadlines
4. Low productivity
5. Low morale
6. Staff not ready for promotion

Delegation takes skill and discipline, but the pay-offs are enormous—both to the organization and to its managers, supervisors, and employees.

Benefits of Smart Delegation to the Organization

1. Faster decisions
2. Greater productivity
3. Management more focused on strategic priorities
4. More versatile and adaptable workforce
5. Development of a talent pool for promotion
6. Higher employee morale
7. Higher employee retention

If delegation has many essential benefits, why don’t supervisors do it more often and more successfully? The reason is frequently that supervisors and others aren’t familiar with a successful delegation process. Our process has five steps.

A 5-Step Delegation Process

1. Decide what to delegate
2. Select the person to delegate to
3. Communicate the delegation
4. Follow up and monitor
5. Wrap up the delegation

1. Decide what to delegate. Tasks like these can and should be delegated: frequent, repetitive decisions; work that will expose employees to new things; tasks that employees are capable of handling; opportunities for employees to use their talents and strengths; tasks that will increase the number of people involved in an important project; tasks that will develop the skills and abilities of a team; tasks that will make employees more versatile.
   
   While you would not delegate a project your boss asked you to complete, a decision to terminate or retain an employee, or the strategic plan for your unit, you can delegate research on software and equipment, recruitment and initial interviewing of new staff, orienting new employees, planning the annual retreat, and leading the annual charitable-giving campaign.
   


2. Select the person to delegate to. When choosing the right person, ask yourself these questions:
   
   • Who needs more development?
   • Whose morale needs the boost a new assignment would give?
   • Who needs more versatility?
   • Who is underutilized?
   • Who has the most interest in doing the job?
   • Who is most experienced with this type of work?
   
   
   
   In choosing whom to delegate to, you must often balance the short-term need of getting the job done quickly with the longer-term need of building staff skills. Be careful to avoid a consistent short-term focus.
   


3. Communicate the delegation. This is the place where managers and supervisors can fall short. A hurried, offhand delegation can easily go wrong. Using these basic steps—Explain, Involve, Commit—will ensure mutual understanding and lead to success.
   
   • Explain:
     Describe the assignment to the employee, including the reason it’s important.
     Tell why you have selected the employee, and the potential benefits of doing the assignment. Clearly explain the goals, expected results, and completion date.
     Specify any required steps, but give the employee flexibility in how to accomplish the goal wherever possible.
     Specify the degree of authority the employee will have.
     Specify the resources and support that will be available.
     
   • Involve:
     Ask the employee to summarize their understanding of the assignment.
     Encourage comments or questions. Be open to input on the goals, expected results, required steps, and completion date.
     Involve the employee in solving any problems or issues raised.
     
   • Commit:
     Agree on the goals, expected results, required steps, resources, etc.
     Agree on a follow-up process—meetings, updates, etc.
     Affirm your confidence in the employee’s ability to do the job.
     Thank the employee for the willingness to take on the assignment.
4. Follow up and monitor. For delegation to succeed, what happens after the delegation is just as important as what takes place before and during delegation. Use these tips to implement effective follow-up.
   • Establish check-in points.
   • Track progress toward results.
   • Respect the employee’s methods.
   • Ask to be told about problems before they grow.
   • Provide feedback and coaching.
   • Resist the urge to interfere, solve problems by yourself, or take the project back.
5. Wrap up the delegation. Delegation will be more successful and satisfying if you wrap up each completed assignment with care. Take these three steps:
   • Review the employee’s performance. Meet to review what went well, what could have gone better, what the employee learned, how the employee will use the new knowledge and experience, and what the employee would recommend to improve the process of delegation.
     
   • Praise and reward the employee. Thank the employee for the results they have achieved and their willingness to take on the task. In a way that matches the employee’s preferences, publicly acknowledge the employee’s work. Add notes to the employee’s file to use in performance appraisal.
     
   • Review your own performance. Reflect on what you did well in the delegation process and what you might have done better. Make note of other delegations you can make to develop your staff and free yourself for higher-level work. Consider your own growth and development and determine what type of delegations you would like to receive.
     

Effective delegation has a very strong payoff for individuals and organizations. When managers and supervisors do it well, people are productive, goals are met, and long-term profitability is supported. Be sure your supervisors and managers know how to delegate successfully.

Note: In the NetSpeed Leadership module Delegating Smartly, we present and practice all of the techniques mentioned in this article. The module includes an experiential exercise, several clear models, a self-assessment, personal application, skill practice, and follow-up tools that reinforce learning. Contact us for more information about Delegating Smartly at your company.