Five Tips For Effective Delegation

For the last 13 years I have been training managers to be better and more effective at what they do. One of the issues they often have, one that comes up time and again, is that many feel they do not delegate enough. And when they do, they can often miss some key aspects to it that will make it much more effective, saving them time and allowing the employee to feel more empowered. Remember, delegation means giving a task for an employee to complete by themselves, whilst at the same time providing the resources and authority to complete it. You delegate the responsibility to do the task, but not the accountability. That is still part of your job as a manager. 

Here then are some important points to delegation that can help you as a manager be much more effective at it.

1. What Tasks To Delegate?

Many managers struggle with what tasks they can and cannot delegate. So, the first question to ask is which tasks are important for you to have to do as a manager. Here’s how you define an important task – will there be a consequence if you don’t do it? If yes, you cannot delegate it, if no, then there’s a good chance you can delegate it. Simple as that. 

Included in importance is any task that must do as a manager. These include key responsibilities such as performance evaluations, one-to-ones, correcting an employee, appreciating and recognising achievements, and management and chairing of certain meetings

Delegate all unimportant tasks, and make sure that you are not still doing tasks that were your responsibility before you were promoted. Ensure the person doing that job has now taken them over. If they lack the competencies, prioritise coaching them to be able to complete all the tasks required by that role. 

2. Ensure the employee has the skills, as well as the motivation and confidence, to complete that task.

Delegation often goes wrong when we assume competency and confidence in the employee to do that task. Managers therefore need to STOP assuming, and instead ensure that they know that the employee can do that job. Watch them in action the first time round or ask them to tell you how they will do it. A few questions to ensure competency, or time spent watching, can save an awful lot of time if you have to redo the job – or you need to sort out the consequences arising from it going wrong. 

Secondly, do not mistake high enthusiasm in the employee for the actual ability to do the job. After all, pretty much all boys as teenagers think they can drive and, if allowed, would enthusiastically take the car out for a spin. 

Even if the employee is highly keen, still check they can do it. Do not worry that it may upset the employee that you are checking on their ability – just say that you need to know they can do it. It is better to check than to find that they have completed that task wrongly, together with the consequences that can go with that. 

In fact, the more negative the consequences if it goes wrong, the more you should check their ability. If they are not high on ability and high on motivation and confidence, you will need to direct, coach or support them first. 

3. Agree when they will update you on the job’s progress.

Far too many managers save time by delegating a task, and then waste that time chasing employees for updates on delegated jobs. To avoid this, when you delegate a task, agree when the employee will feedback to you on the progress of the task. It could be:

· In the team meeting.

· In your one-to-one with them.

· In an email once or twice a week.

· In a phone call on a Monday or Friday morning.

· You decide

Then, if they do not update you, send an email to them to remind them of what you agreed.

At the end, it should be them chasing you to update you, not you chasing them. 

4. Do NOT micromanage them!

Now to understand this, we need a definition of micromanaging. So here it is. 

You micromanage a person when you continue to tell them how to do a task that is:

a. A responsibility on their job description and which they already do.

b. One that you have delegated them to do.

Typical phrases when micromanaging include:

“Have you spoken to —- about this?”

“Make sure you do XYZ”

“Now the next thing you need to do is…..”

These are all things the employee knows anyway, so why are you telling them. STOP doing it.

The problem is you give the impression that you don’t trust them and this is exceptionally demotivating. Secondly, a clever employee will make out they don’t know what do to, and before you know it, you are doing it for them. This is a form of upward delegation.

If it is their job and they know how to do it, let them get on with it. Agree the goals and then let them plan and do it. If they want to discuss it with you, then fine, but do not keep telling them what to do, because if they really do not know, you should direct or coach them first, before delegating that job to them. 

This leads to the fifth tip:

5. Ensure they are aware of your standard

They can do the job, but maybe they will would finish it a different way or to a different standard than you would like (e.g. a report, or the minutes of meetings.) If this is the case, make sure they know how you want it done, or to what standard. Give them a template or explain clearly. 

From an employee’s perspective, it is incredibly deflating when you complete a task, expecting appreciation from your manager, and instead you get, “Oh, that’s er, that’s not really how I wanted it done.” (“Well why didn’t you tell me you….” is what the employee would want to tell you.)

So, tell them your standard. If you’re not sure yet, let them come to you with some choices, and then you pick the standard. 

Either way, be clear on yours and how you want the task completed. It will stop the employee from becoming demotivated, and save time from it having to be done again…either by you, or by them.

Finally, when they do complete the job, especially the first time, do make sure you thank and appreciate them. They have taken on one of your jobs, so it is the least you can do, and it will help keep them motivated….ready for the next task you want to delegate to them. 

Richard Pheasant is director and lead trainer of Bespoke Business Training. He has been involved in training several thousand managers since moving into business training nearly 13 years ago, both in UK, Europe and the Middle-East. Previous to that, he lectured on leadership at a university in the Arabian Gulf.