6 Steps to Delegating Effectively

Delegating effectively is as much about getting more done as it is about empowering others and creating a high-performance organization. Delegating is often misunderstood and before we talk about the six steps to delegating effectively it is first important to understand what delegating is and what it is not.

Delegating is about sharing work, sharing authority, and providing employee development. Delegating is not about dumping your workload on someone else, letting go of all responsibility, or assigning work and checking the box done - never checking back to ensure it was done and done well.

When deciding what to delegate there are two critical questions you must ask:

1. What tasks represent the most strategic and important aspects of my job?
   
2. What tasks are my staff better able to do?
   

“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” 
-Theodore Roosevelt,
United States President, (1901 –1909)

Once you have defined what you need to delegate, then you can follow these 6 steps to delegate effectively:

1. Provide CLARITY about what you want done:  be specific and provide needed instruction.
   
2. MATCH the right task to the right individual.
3. Establish LEVELS of authority and autonomy – don’t hesitate to provide challenging assignments.
4. Determine RESOURCES and support for the individual.
5. Give clear DEADLINES for completion and discuss how & when you will check-in for follow-up.
6. Provide FEEDBACK on performance when assignment is complete.

CAUTION: do not always delegate to your most senior staff; and don't not delegate to the “right” person because you think they are too busy or have too much on their plate already.

Delegating effectively is one of the top 5 most consistently self-reported challenges that leaders struggle with. If you would like to know more about how LEAP the Leadership Acceleration Program can help you (or someone you know) become more effective at delegating, join us for an upcoming webinar.

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