Get the Weeds off your Desk: Delegation that Works

We talk about delegation all the time, how important it is to delegate because otherwise, we’ll never be able to operate at an executive level. We’ll never develop our people if they aren’t given responsibility and authority and I’ll never get out of the weeds if I’m always solving their problems.

So why is delegation so hard? What keeps us from freely and successfully delegating the right stuff and freeing ourselves for bigger thinking and bigger contributions (and less detail in our lives)?

Well, here are three things that might keep us from delegating more routinely:

• Deep down, we really don’t want to. Letting go of responsibility and authority and decision-making is scary. We lose control. I met recently with a very successful and highly regarded COO who told me, “I’d love to delegate more to my team, as long as they do it right and do it exactly as I’d do it.” She was kidding, but point made: it’s hard to give away an important job if you don’t know how it’ll turn out. It’s likely you’ve been promoted and recognized by your organization because you’re so good at this stuff- why let someone else do it and maybe mess it up?
• It feels like more work than actually doing the task ourselves. It takes time to clearly explain what it is you’re trying to accomplish, to agree on a game plan and see whether it gets done well (and on time, on budget, etc.).
• It hasn’t gone well in the past. Maybe you’ve found that, even when you’ve identified the right person to do the job and invested in giving great direction, the work came back substandard.

Try using this Delegation Checklist as a way to determine if you’ve done all you can do to be an effective Delegator.

So, here’re some foundational pieces to effective delegation. If you’re doing these things well, you’re likely to have more success in delegating, and more able to amplify yourself to bigger things.

First, though, it’s helpful to distinguish between your role as leader and that of your team members. Your role as Leader is to deliver four things:

1. The What: be crystal clear about your vision and the outcomes. It’s your Team Member’s responsibility to do the How.
2. The Why of what you’re doing. This means giving people as much context as they need to move forward.
3. The Resources to be able to do the job well: this includes the right technology or tools to be able to function effectively; and
4. The Expectations for Quality: Fourth and finally (and this is the one easiest to miss), it’s vital to give people a sense of the quality standard you’re seeking. They need to know what GOOD looks like.

[Here’s an article that goes into more depth around Four Key Elements of Leadership and how to set your team up for success.]

Something you can do for yourself is take a look at your TO DO list and identify those items which fall into one or more of the categories above. Anything that doesn’t might be a great candidate for delegation.

And consider what you want  to accomplish: when you effectively delegate, you are creating new owners of the business, people who can solve problems and be responsible for a task, and you are expanding your capacity to contribute.

So, what about the Delegation Checklist? What do I need to know in order to delegate well, to keep my folks growing and engaged, and to take all of the “weeds” off my desk? Here’s a way to organize the delegation process so that your team member gets what she needs and you feel strong about how you’ve gone about it.

An Effective Delegation Checklist – Five Essential Elements

1. Outcomes: Start with outcomes, what it is that needs to be different after this task is done. Be completely clear and over-communicate in this area. Do not say, ‘We need a better budgeting process.’ Do say, ‘It’s important the budgeting process one- gets us the information we need to be able to plan; two- takes our people away from their jobs as little as possible; and, three- offers a useful comparison to our actuals and last year’s budget.’ Yes, it takes a bit longer, and yes, it means you have to think a bit harder at the front end to do this part well. But, it will save valuable time in terms of misunderstandings and do-overs.

2. The WHY:  Know that people want to do good work. They want to feel successful. If they know that the work they are doing is important and understand its connection to the success of the business, they are more likely to bring their A Game. So let them know why this task is important and why you genuinely believe they’re capable of doing it well.

3. Check-in: If you’ve delivered on the first two, it’s time to see how well you’ve done by checking in with your Delegatee. Simply ask the person to share back with you what they’ve heard in their own words somehow. This doesn’t have to be micromanage-y or intimidating; you can simply ask,’Hey, I want to be sure I’ve been clear. Could you please share back with me in your own words, what we’re trying to accomplish?’ Because this step will get you two far more aligned at the outset,  it can avoid most of the missteps and lots of wasted time.

4. Resources: Maybe this goes without saying but be sure the person has the tools to do the job well. Otherwise, you’re setting them up for failure. They don’t need an unlimited budget or staff but ensure they have adequate resources to be successful, assuming decent planning, judgment and management.

5. Take a breath: Remember your job is to provide the WHAT and the WHY; it’s their job to deliver on the HOW. So give the person a chance to digest and come back with a recommended approach to share with you. This might mean laying out the direction on day one and coming back a day or two later with their plan. Give them space to think through it.

6. Tracking and Measurement: Of course we’re all about metrics and KPIs these days, which are important. But in this case, I’m talking about setting productive milestones- set some review points along the way (before the due date) in which you examine progress and can make adjustments. Have your team member build these into the timetable at the front end. Remember this is a learning process and mistakes will be made; create early milestones so you can easily adapt to missteps.
7. After-Action Review: once the project is complete and the dust has cleared, set some time hold a Lessons Learned conversation and talk about:

• What worked well for you in this process? What didn’t?
• What is the learning? What can we shift or change about our approach to make things better next time?
• How can I give you better direction and feedback?
• What should we be celebrating? Then celebrate.

Summing it up

Delegation, it turns out, is hard work. It means overcoming your natural need for control and investing time in thinking and conversation. And, above all, trusting in your team.

And, when you see your team member accomplishing something she’d never done before and suddenly confident in taking on bigger problems she hasn’t faced in her career, it’s  worth the extra investment on the front end.