Aug 18, 2017
Why Is DelegatingImportant?
Delegating frees you up to tackle the truly importantaspects of your mission/business/project.Too many leaders, believing only they areable to do things just right, insist on being involved in everysingle detail of their missions. They believe that thisultra-hands-on approach is good for business because they’re makingsure everything gets done just so.
But a leader should be in chargeof the overall direction of a team; he is the one looking ahead,steering the course, and making needed corrections to avoid gettingoff track. But buried in the small details, a man will lose the bigpicture and fail to see that the mission is falling apart until itis too late.
A good leader isn’t a slave todetail; he uses his valuable time to tackle what’s truly important.And this leads to greater success for him and hisorganization.
Delegating increases the morale, confidence, andproductivity of subordinates.A boss that takes over his subordinates’responsibilities, constantly looks over their shoulder, and stickshis nose in their every doing, creates very dissatisfied people.They feel like their leader has no confidence in them. Conversely,bosses that give important responsibilities to their employees,along with the freedom to complete the task their way, builds hisemployees’ innovation, morale, and satisfaction. It is crucial fora leader to show those under him that he trusts them.
“There are those who seem tothink a proof of executive ability is to be fussing around all thewhile. Not so. The real leader flutters not. He knows how todelegate work. He is the one who directs and, therefore, seemsleast busy of all.” Ohio Education Monthly, 1915
Delegating saves you time.Not only does delegating allow you toconcentrate on more important matters, it simply gives you moretime in general.
Some leaders don’t believe this.“Why bother spending all that time training someone to do somethingthat I can do myself with less trouble?” they ask. But while it’strue that training someone will involve more time in the shortterm, it’s an investment in the future that will pay compoundinterest.
The old adage, “Feed a man afish, feed him for the day, teach a man to fish, feed him for alifetime,” applies here. You can spend 20 minutes every day doingsomething your secretary should be doing, and thus spend 86 hoursdoing that task during the next five years. Or, you can spend 3hours one day training your secretary to do it, and not have tospend any time on it ever again.
And what’s the point of workingyour butt off to get to the top if you’re going to be just as busyand harried as you were as a grunt?
Andrew Carnegie was a man whoknew how tohustletoget wanted he wanted. But once he found success, he became a masterdelegator. To a friend who told him that he got to work at 7 in themorning, he said:
“You must be a lazy man if ittakes you ten hours to do a day’s work. What I do is get good menand I never give them orders. My directions do not go beyondsuggestions. Here in the morning I get reports from them. Within anhour I have disposed of everything, sent out all my suggestions,the day’s work done, and I am ready to go out and enjoymyself.”
How to DelegateEffectively
“Analyze the career of thesuccessful business manager and you will find that he has done twothings: by elimination and selection he has fitted competent men tothe places at which the work focuses; by system he has so shifteddetail to the shoulders of subordinates as still to keep theessential facts under his own hand.” -William A. Field of theIllinois Steel Company, 1919
Pick the best people.The true key to effective delegationbegins before you actually do any delegating at all; rather, itstarts in the hiring office. Choosing the best people for your teamor business is the most paramount part of effective delegation.Everything rests on having people that can successfully carry outthe responsibilities you delegate just as well as could doyourself. Pick people who are creative and self-motivated enough towork without you constantly looking over their shoulder and givinginstruction.
Delegate in a way that people will willingly accept theassignment.When youdelegate a task to someone, that person will greet the task withone of two responses: resentment or pride. To ensure it’s thelatter, never delegate responsibilities that everyoneknowsyoushould specifically be doing. Youdelegate tasks when there are more important things that youpersonally need to attend to, not when you simply find a taskunpleasant. My personal rule is never to delegate things that Iwouldn’t be willing to do myself if I could.
When you delegate a task, tellthe person why you chose them-why you think their particulartalents are well-suited for the project. Compliments go a long way,and will give the person a sense of being needed and a sense ofpurpose.
Also, don’t play favorites whendelegating responsibilities-doling out tasks based not on talentbut on who you like. Not only will this create resentment amongyour team members, not picking the best person for the job simplyhandicaps your project before it even begins.
Have consistent standards.Leaders who complain that theirsubordinates don’t have the ability to tackle responsibilitiescompetently are sometimes to blame themselves. They have not giventheir people clear guidance on what is expected of them. Theseleaders do not know themselves what they want and yet are angrywhen the result of a subordinate’s work is not up to par. They knowwhat theydon’tlike, but can’t articulate whattheydowant.Developing ExecutiveAbility, a book from1919, sums this point up well and adds other invaluableadvice:
“Let us analyze this complaintwhich has been voiced in one form or another by many executives—thedetailed and reiterated directions these secretaries require, theirlack of insight into the day’s work. It is granted that no briefcould be maintained for all private secretaries; their ranks havebeen invaded by the incompetent and all are human. But as a rulethe failure to get things done as the executive wants them isbecause he does not know himself what hewants,consistently. It is the lack of system, of standards, whichis really to blame for the tangle, since the whim of the moment,and not a clear-cut standard, determines whether the typing or thechoice of letterhead is to please him.
In order to satisfy theunsystematic man the secretary must be a mind reader…
A man’s efficiency is bestdeveloped by giving him responsibility with a clear understandingof that which is expected. Gradually increase the responsibility,always extending a guiding and helpful hand where needed. Give himall information necessary bearing on his work, encourage him todiscuss troublesome matters with you or his next superior in orderthat errors may not occur for fear of exposing an apparent lack ofknowledge. Remarkable results along this line can thus be obtained.We, as individuals, have but a slight idea of our capacity, and werealize possibilities only as we are put to the test. No greaterencouragement can be given. It assumes a confidence that isappreciated. A man will strive his utmost before admitting failure.Responsibility causes a man to plan and think. When he begins tothink, he at once becomes valuable; he feels he is a part of thecompany and that its interests are his interests. New possibilitiesthat had been lying dormant are realized. New thoughts are arousedin rapid succession. The new opportunities act as a stimulanttoward accomplishment.”
Give ample freedom for the subordinate to complete thetask.Once youdelegate a responsibility, you are placing your trust in thatsubordinate to carry out the task. Constantly jumping back in tocheck on how things are going will show your subordinate that youdo not really trust them, and thus will actually erode their moraleand impede their productivity, creativity and success. Give theperson room to be able to successfully complete their assignment,and remember, while there is an agreed upon goal, they don’t haveto get there exactly howyouwould get there. Let them do things intheir own way.
Follow-up.Giving ample freedom doesn’t mean younever check in at all. Periodically follow-up with the person, notnecessarily to stick your nose in what they’re doing, but to see ifthey have any questions or concerns that need to beaddressed.
Share in rewards and give credit andpraise.When you askothers to take on responsibilities, you cannot ask them only toshare in the risk and drudgery, and not the rewards and glory. Whena project is a success, a leader gives credit where credit is due.And he treats his subordinates as true partners, listening to theirfeedback and respecting their ideas and opinions. A great leaderunderstands that the man on the ground often has the best insightsto offer on what is really going on and needs to bedone.
Delegation and SMART, orSMARTER
A simple delegation rule istheSMARTacronym, or betterstill, SMARTER. It's a quick checklist for proper delegation.Delegated tasks must be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Agreed
- Realistic
- Timebound
- Ethical
- Recorded
Traditional interpretations ofthe SMARTER acronym use 'Exciting' or 'Enjoyable', however,although a high level of motivation often results when a personachieves and is given recognition for a particular delegated task,which in itself can be exciting and enjoyable, in truth, let's behonest, it is not always possible to ensure that all delegated workis truly 'exciting' or 'enjoyable' for the recipient. Moreimportantly, the 'Ethical' aspect is fundamental to everything thatwe do, assuming you subscribe to such philosophy. There are othervariations of meaning - seeSMARTandSMARTERacronyms.
Thedelegationand review formisa useful tool for the delegation process.
Also helpful tools fordelegation, see thegoal planning tips andtemplate, andtheactivitymanagement template.
TheTannenbaum and SchmidtContinuummodelproviodes extra guidance on delegating freedom to, and developing,a team.
TheTuckman'Forming, Storming, Norming Performing'modelisparticularly helpful when delegating to teams and individualswithin teams.
Below are:
Thesteps of successfuldelegation-step-by-step guide.
Thelevelsof delegation freedom- choose which is most appropriate forany given situation.
the steps of successfuldelegation
1 Define the task
Confirm in your own mind thatthe task is suitable to be delegated. Does it meet the criteria fordelegating?
2 Select the individual orteam
What are your reasons fordelegating to this person or team? What are they going to get outof it? What are you going to get out of it?
3 Assess ability and trainingneeds
Is the other person or team ofpeople capable of doing the task? Do they understand what needs tobe done. If not, you can't delegate.
4 Explain thereasons
You must explain why the job orresponsibility is being delegated. And why to that person orpeople? What is its importance and relevance? Where does it fit inthe overall scheme of things?
5 State requiredresults
What must be achieved? Clarifyunderstanding by getting feedback from the other person. How willthe task be measured? Make sure they know how you intend to decidethat the job is being successfully done.
6 Consider resourcesrequired
Discuss and agree what isrequired to get the job done. Consider people, location, premises,equipment, money, materials, other related activities andservices.
7 Agree deadlines
When must the job be finished?Or if an ongoing duty, when are the review dates? When are thereports due? And if the task is complex and has parts or stages,what are the priorities?
At this point you may need toconfirm understanding with the other person of the previous points,getting ideas and interpretation. As well as showing you that thejob can be done, this helps to reinforce commitment.
Methods of checking andcontrolling must be agreed with the other person. Failing to agreethis in advance will cause this monitoring to seem likeinterference or lack of trust.
8 Support andcommunicate
Think about who else needs toknow what's going on, and inform them. Involve the other person inconsidering this so they can see beyond the issue at hand. Do notleave the person to inform your own peers of their newresponsibility. Warn the person about any awkward matters ofpolitics or protocol. Inform your own boss if the task isimportant, and of sufficient profile.
9 Feedback onresults
It is essential to let theperson know how they are doing, and whether they have achievedtheir aims. If not, you must review with them why things did not goto plan, and deal with the problems. You must absorb theconsequences of failure, and pass on the credit forsuccess.
levels ofdelegation
Delegation isn't just a matterof telling someone else what to do. There is a wide range ofvarying freedom that you can confer on the other person. The moreexperienced and reliable the other person is, then the more freedomyou can give. The more critical the task then the more cautious youneed to be about extending a lot of freedom, especially if your jobor reputation depends on getting a good result. Take care to choosethe most appropriate style for each situation. For each example thestatements are simplified for clarity; in reality you would choosea less abrupt style of language, depending on the person and therelationship. At the very least, a "Please" and "Thank-you" wouldbe included in the requests.
It's important also to ask theother person what level of authority they feel comfortable beinggiven. Why guess? When you ask, you can find out for sure and agreethis with the other person. Some people are confident; others lessso. It's your responsibility to agree with them what level is mostappropriate, so that the job is done effectively and with minimalunnecessary involvement from you. Involving the other person inagreeing the level of delegated freedom for any particularresponsibility is an essential part of the 'contract' that you makewith them.
These levels of delegation arenot an exhaustive list. There are many more shades of grey betweenthese black-and-white examples. Take time to discuss and adapt theagreements and 'contracts' that you make with people regardingdelegated tasks, responsibility and freedom according to thesituation.
Be creative in choosing levelsof delegated responsibility, and always check with the other personthat they are comfortable with your chosen level. People aregenerally capable of doing far more than you imagine.
The rate and extent ofresponsibility and freedom delegated to people is a fundamentaldriver of organisational growth and effectiveness, the growth andwell-being of your people, and of your own development andadvancement.
levels of delegation -examples
These examples of differentdelegation levels progressively offer, encourage and enable moredelegated freedom. Level 1 is the lowest level of delegated freedom(basically none). Level 10 is the highest level typically (andrarely) found in organisations.
1 "Wait to be told." or "Doexactly what I say." or "Follow these instructionsprecisely."
This is instruction. There is nodelegated freedom at all.
2 "Look into this and tell methe situation. I'll decide."
This is asking for investigationand analysis but no recommendation. The person delegating retainsresponsibility for assessing options prior to making thedecision.
3 "Look into this and tell methe situation. We'll decide together."
This is has a subtle importantdifference to the above. This level of delegation encourages andenables the analysis and decision to be a shared process, which canbe very helpful in coaching and development.
4 "Tell me the situation andwhat help you need from me in assessing and handling it. Then we'lldecide."
This is opens the possibility ofgreater freedom for analysis and decision-making, subject to bothpeople agreeing this is appropriate. Again, this level is helpfulin growing and defining coaching and developmentrelationships.
5 "Give me your analysis of thesituation (reasons, options, pros and cons) and recommendation.I'll let you know whether you can go ahead."
Asks for analysis andrecommendation, but you will check the thinking beforedeciding.
6 "Decide and let me know yourdecision, and wait for my go-ahead before proceeding."
The other person is trusted toassess the situation and options and is probably competent enoughto decide and implement too, but for reasons of task importance, orcompetence, or perhaps externally changing factors, the bossprefers to keep control of timing. This level of delegation can befrustrating for people if used too often or for too long, and inany event the reason for keeping people waiting, after they'veinevitably invested time and effort, needs to beexplained.
7 "Decide and let me know yourdecision, then go ahead unless I say not to."
Now the other person begins tocontrol the action. The subtle increase in responsibility savestime. The default is now positive rather than negative. This is avery liberating change in delegated freedom, and incidentally onethat can also be used very effectively when seeking responsibilityfrom above or elsewhere in an organisation, especially one which isstrangled by indecision and bureaucracy. For example, "Here is myanalysis and recommendation; I will proceed unless you tell meotherwise by (date)."
8 "Decide and take action - letme know what you did (and what happened)."
This delegation level, as witheach increase up the scale, saves even more time. This level ofdelegation also enables a degree of follow-up by the manager as tothe effectiveness of the delegated responsibility, which isnecessary when people are being managed from a greater distance, ormore 'hands-off'. The level also allows and invites positivefeedback by the manager, which is helpful in coaching anddevelopment of course.
9 "Decide and take action. Youneed not check back with me."
The most freedom that you cangive to another person when you still need to retain responsibilityfor the activity. A high level of confidence is necessary, and youwould normally assess the quality of the activity after the eventaccording to overall results, potentially weeks or months later.Feedback and review remain helpful and important, although therelationship is more likely one of mentoring, rather than coachingper se.
10 "Decide where action needsto be taken and manage the situation accordingly. It's your area ofresponsibility now."
The most freedom that you cangive to the other person, and not generally used without formalchange of a person's job role. It's the delegation of a strategicresponsibility. This gives the other person responsibility fordefining what changes projects, tasks, analysis and decisions arenecessary for the management of a particular area ofresponsibility, as well as the task or project or change itself,and how the initiative or change is to be implemented and measured,etc. This amounts to delegating part of your job - not just a taskor project. You'd use this utmost level of delegation (for example)when developing a successor, or as part of an intentional andagreed plan to devolve some of your job accountability in a formalsense.
contracts - 'psychologicalcontracts', 'emotional contracts'
Variously called 'contracts' or'psychological contracts' or 'emotional contracts', theseexpressions describe the process of agreeing with the other personwhat they should do and the expectations linked to theresponsibility. It all basically means the same, whatever you callit. The point is that people cannot actually be held responsiblefor something to which they've not agreed. The point is also thateveryone is more committed to delivering a responsibility ifthey've been through the process of agreeing to do it. This impliesthat they might have some feelings about the expectations attached,such as time-scale, resources, budget, etc., even purpose andmethod. You must give the other person the opportunity to discuss,question and suggest issues concerning expectations attached to adelegated task. This is essential to the contractingprocess.
SeeThePsychological Contract,andTransactionalAnalysis Contracting- both are highly relevant todelegation.
Certain general responsibilitiesof course are effectively agreed implicitly within people's jobroles or job descriptions or employment contracts, but commonlyparticular tasks, projects, etc., that you need to delegate arenot, in which case specific discussion must take place to establishproper agreement or 'contract' between you and the otherperson.
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