Delegation as an Art

I often hear people in leadership roles say they need to delegate more. But what does that really mean, and how do you get there? If the answer to this question was simple, people would stop saying they need to do it more, and actually do it - managers would have less on their plates, and teams would feel more empowered and invested in the long term goals of the organization. However, it isn’t. There are many conditions that need to be met in order to be able to delegate successfully. This post lists seven.

Have a clear plan.

All good delegation starts with a plan. It is impossible to know what you need others to do, if you don’t have a clear sense of where you are headed and therefore, what you need. While it can sometimes feel overwhelming to step back from the day to day fires that managers are often putting out, taking the time on the front end to backwards map from your end goal by thinking through key deadlines, a comprehensive list of related tasks and projects, and potential owners for each part of the work ultimately saves time and stress down the line and is worth the investment. 

Bonus points for developing the plan in a way that is easily shared and understood by others. The simple step of having a clear, shared workplan that is accessible to all members involved in a project reduces the bottlenecks that can be caused by a team waiting for direction from their manager. 

Know your teams’ strengths and interests.

Delegation, if done well, can not only help teams work more effectively, but it can also be a wonderful professional development strategy. Taking the time as a manager to really understand your team members, learn what they love working on and what they want to learn more about can make delegation feel much better for all parties. Like anything, people are more willing to take on new tasks or projects when they are excited about them and when they feel connected to longer term goals.

Get people involved in the project before you think you need them.

People do much better work when they are fully invested in something from the start. Once you have a good understanding of your team’s strengths and interests, think about ways to get them involved in big organizational priorities that are connected to these interests and strengths, even if it’s not clear what the team member’s role will ultimately be. This means getting them in the room for big decision-making and planning meetings, wherever possible. Providing context, and creating opportunities for them to hear from and provide feedback to leadership and other teams within an organization are essential steps to developing the strong foundation for shared ownership of the work. Once it is time to assign tasks, you will likely have much less work on your plate, because you’ve brought your team along in the development of the project and they will have just as clear a picture of what needs to be done as you will.

Give your team the information they need to succeed and be invested.

While getting team members involved from the start is ideal, it’s not always possible. Even in cases where it’s not, it is important to make sure that any task assignment is accompanied by enough context and understanding of the overall goals of the project so that team members know “the why” behind what they are doing. This moves people away from reliance on a manager for directives, and allows them to use their own skill sets and critical thinking skills to make good judgment calls and add value to the overall goals of the project. It helps team members not only feel empowered, but can also relieve some of the decision-making fatigue managers often feel, and ultimately leaves everyone in an organization better off.

Do away with the culture of hierarchical communication.

In order for delegation to occur most effectively, it is important that organizations also take on the responsibility for creating the conditions to allow for it. This means that when managers start looking for opportunities to engage their teams in bigger picture planning work and decision-making, organizations have to be receptive to inviting more people to the table. There can often be a culture in hierarchical organizations of top level management becoming accustomed to managers serving as representatives for all high level work. Moving away from this expectation is essential to managers being able to bring their team along and building the investment that is outlined above. 

Ask yourself if there is anyone else who can do the thing you’re doing, every single time. 

This one is simple. And not a new concept, but should probably be a Post-it note on every manager’s desk. When we are operating in reactivity mode, moving from task to task, it is easy to dive into the work without doing the reflection about who the right person is to do it. Sometimes it is because of a feeling of control and the “if you want something done right, do it yourself” mentality, sometimes it is because of a feeling of guilt and not wanting to overextend your team, so choosing to overextend yourself instead. Whatever the reason - being mindful about what the work is you are engaging in directly, why you are choosing to do it, and whether that makes sense given the makeup of the rest of the team is a practice that should be worked into the start and end to every manager’s day. 

Drop your ego.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, in order for any of the tips outlined above to occur, managers need to start by putting aside egos and fighting the feeling that they alone have something to prove. They should instead focus on the good of the whole team and the way that they can set up conditions for success that will live on past the time that they are in their role.