You stare out the window, wondering what went wrong.
You “delegated” what you thought was an easy task to a good employee, but it turned out baaad. The results? Let’s just say they weren’t what you were hoping for.
You don’t understand. You thought they were capable. How did this happen? You may just need to quit this “delegation” thing.
Why did it fail? Generally, it’s not because of the employee but the person delegating. Many leaders make common mistakes, and if you know them, you can work to avoid them.
Let’s look at some.
Not being clear with expectations.
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make when delegating is not clearly setting expectations. There are a few reasons this happens.
The first is assumptions. This is the one I’ve struggled with a lot in the past. It’s sooo easy to assume someone knows what to do, what you mean, or see it the way you see it.
But that’s not the case. When you assume people know what you mean or understand, they often see things differently, and the work isn’t done correctly.
Another reason this happens is poor communication, including being vague or using ambiguous language.
It’s like me telling you to fix a report. If that’s all I say, it’s likely what you think I mean and what I actually mean are different.
It’s also challenging to know if you’re on track or making progress if instructions are vague.
Another way expectations can be unclear is a lack of metrics and deadlines. Now, not everything has to have a number, but people should know what the outcome should look like and what they are being measured for success.
There also needs to be deadlines so people know when something is expected. Without these, it’s hard to track oneself and your progress.
Not making sure others are on the same page.
This makes sense when you think about the first mistake. If you want to make sure expectations are clear, then it’s wise to make sure you both are on the same page and see things the same way.
One simple way to do this is to just ask. Once expectations are set or as you go, ask them to repeat back what you said or what the expectations are.
It could be something like this: “Just to make sure I was clear on everything, would you repeat back in your own words what’s expected for this project?”
You could ask for specific parts, such as metrics, their overall view or take on the project, and what it entails.
However you do it, making sure you both see it the same way is essential.
Throwing random tasks (or just tasks you don’t like) at people.
Delegation isn’t meant to just get rid of the stuff you don’t like, so you can just focus on the things you do. It’s not about you.
Delegation is about making you, your team, and your organization more effective.
When you delegate, you should delegate purposefully and strategically. You want to maximize your people and grow them to be even more effective.
You want to match the right tasks with the right people and the right roles so that everyone is the most productive.
Throwing random tasks at people, or the tasks you don’t like, doesn’t do that.
(Note: It’s not that you never delegate tasks you don’t like, but it should be purposeful, not ad hoc).
Abdicating and detaching after delegating.
Sometimes, when people think of delegation, they see it as giving someone else a task and then not thinking about it anymore. They detach themselves from the work; in other words, abdicating.
That’s not quite the case.
As the leader, even when you delegate, you are still responsible for it. You can’t just go hands-off and then blame the other person when things don’t work out.
Part of good delegation is following up with people. It’s not about micromanaging or “getting them” if they made a mistake, but about checking the status, seeing if there are misunderstandings, and looking for where you need to offer support or help.
When you abdicate, the project could go sideways from the beginning due to unclear expectations, and that person may spend weeks doing the wrong thing (then having to redo it once that realization happens).
When you check in and follow up, then you can make sure things are on track and help where needed.
Micromanaging/Controlling/Focusing on the how.
In general, if you control someone’s work, make all the decisions, and tell them what and how to do everything, that’s not delegation; that’s micromanaging.
Delegation is about releasing authority and control to other people to make decisions and do the work to achieve the desired outcome.
This doesn’t mean you blindly give things to people without training or preparation. You may start small and help the person grow in their decision-making and problem-solving.
Different people are at various stages, and you may have different levels of involvement with the person depending on where they are and the task’s importance.
You may have systems and checklists in place that people need to follow with specific tasks.
But your goal isn’t to control everything but to grow them so that they can make the decisions and solve the problems on their own to meet the expectations and the desired outcome.
As Dave Ramsey said in EntreLeadership, “If you catch yourself micromanaging every nuance and every detail, you will never grow your company into one you work on instead of merely in. As a micromanager, you will have difficulty attracting and keeping high-quality people because they won’t put up with that trash.”
Not building a strong foundation to delegate effectively.
Culture matters.
If you have a culture of fear, where people fear disagreeing, admitting mistakes, receiving feedback, etc., it will hurt your ability to delegate.
If people are struggling and need help, they are less likely to speak up and ask for it. If they make a mistake, they are more likely to hide it.
However, if you have a healthy culture, welcome feedback, encourage disagreement, etc., then people will be more likely to speak up, disagree, help you make better plans, ask for help when they need it, and so on.