If you want to get good at graphic design, you need to learn the principles of graphic design and apply them. It’s the same with delegation. If you want to be an effective delegator, learn the principles of delegation.
What are the principles of delegation? Here are 10 key principles you should follow.
1. Delegation is not abdication (you are still responsible as the leader)
Sometimes, as a leader, it can be easy to see delegation as completely getting rid of a task, especially if you feel overwhelmed or dislike the work you are delegating.
This can often happen to small business owners. They spend the first part of their business putting the hours in and doing all the work. When they finally get to a position where they can hire, they give that person some of the work, breathe a sigh of relief, and don’t like at it again.
But that’s not effective and can be dangerous—especially if it’s related to finances!
You are still responsible
First, as a leader, you are still ultimately responsible for all the work your team does. It doesn’t matter if you “passed it on,” you are still responsible for the results.
Let’s say your team didn’t meet some project goal. Who is your boss going to talk to? Your team? Or you?
You, of course. You are the leader. You can blame all you want (which will likely just hurt you in the boss’s eyes), but you are ultimately responsible. If the work isn’t done right, the fault is ultimately on you.
Mistakes and misunderstandings
Second, sometimes there can be misunderstandings or mistakes that happen in the delegation process or as the individual does the work. If you don’t follow up, things can go haywire and go in the wrong direction for a long time, causing damage and wasting a lot of time.
When you follow up, you are able to make sure it’s on track and help correct any confusion. It also gives you the opportunity to support the person doing the task or project.
What follow-up is about
Following up isn’t about catching people doing wrong, but helping people get the work done. When you follow up, you show that the work is important and that you are there for them to help, guide, and provide the support they need to get it done.
That not only helps the work get done better, but it can be a motivator, too. How often you follow up can depend on the person, their experience, and the task.
Bottom line: as a leader, follow up.
2. Delegation should be strategic and purposeful
When I was a teenager, I had a friend teach me a method on how to know when spaghetti was cooked and ready. He told me you get a strand of spaghetti and throw it at the wall. If it sticks, it’s ready. If it doesn’t, then it’s not.
(Side note, letting the spaghetti dry on the wall can cause you to remove paint when you do take it off – not that I would know that from experience <cough>).
Sometimes leaders treat delegation the same way. While they aren’t necessarily trying to see what sticks and what doesn’t, they take random noodles (tasks) and throw them at people.
It may be noodles they don’t like or want to do, or it may be just with the purpose of clearing their plate; either way, it’s not purposeful or strategic. It’s just ad-hoc.
Delegation is about making you and your team effective
It’s important to remember the purpose of delegation – to make you and your team the most effective it can be.
Because of that, delegation shouldn’t be ad-hoc; it should be purposeful and strategic.
Yes, you may pass on work you don’t like as much – if it’s done purposefully. Sometimes in life, you have to do things you don’t always like.
In your job, there are tasks that are important for your job—generally, you do those. You pass on work that isn’t important for your job to others whom it may be important for. (To learn more on knowing what to delegate, check out: How to Know What to Delegate (A Simple Guide))
You maximize the skills your team has by passing on the right projects and tasks. You may grow people by giving them certain tasks or projects. You work to give the right task to the right person for the right reason.
Bottom line: when you delegate, do it with purpose.
3. Clarity is key
I think we all know that it’s important to be clear, but sometimes we don’t realize how unclear we are being.
I remember telling some of my kids to clean their room. They worked on it and thought they had it right, but when I went and checked, it wasn’t what I meant when I said to clean their room.
Since I wasn’t clear on what that meant, they cleaned it in the way they thought clean meant. It just happened to be different than mine.
This happens all the time at work. We may request people to do some kind of work, but we are not clear about what we mean, so they do it thinking they are doing it right, and in a way they are. We just weren’t clear.
The reason this often happens is because of assumptions. We assume people know what we mean when we say “clean the room” or “fix the report”, but often that’s just not true.
We all come from different backgrounds and see the world through different lenses.
How to be clearer
So how do we make sure we are on the same page?
First, be specific.
Don’t just say “clean your room” or “fix the report,” say what you mean by that.
“The bed should be made and all toys off the floor and in their bins” or “I need all the spelling and grammar issues fixed and more detail about what we are doing on the summary page.”
You may also give examples of what you want them to do. If I wanted my kids to make the bed, I would show them what that looks like and how to do that. I may have an example report that has the formatting and sample writing that they can follow.
Then, make sure they understand.
Don’t just assume they get it, ask! You can say something like, “Just to make sure I was clear, can you repeat back to me what I’m asking you to do?”
Having metrics and a deadline is also important.
What will they be graded on? How will they know if they are making progress or if they succeeded or not? When should they have it done by or certain parts by?
Don’t just assume you are clear, make sure you are clear.
Bottom line: make sure everything you communicate is clear and understood.
4. Communicate well
As we discussed in the previous point, you want to make sure you are clear about the message you communicate.
To do that, you want to make sure you know the main point of the message you are giving, and you want to keep it simple and avoid complex language or instructions.
Complicated and complex equals greater confusion and misunderstanding.
But communication isn’t just you talking to them; it’s two-way. It included listening.
You’ve likely experienced situations where you felt the leader or others wouldn’t listen. Maybe you knew the plan wouldn’t work well, there were easy changes that could make it better, or you had an idea that could have benefited the situation or team greatly.
But they didn’t listen.
That can be frustrating—and it can also cause a lot of harm.
The importance of listening
As a leader, you don’t know everything. You don’t always have the best ideas. You are often more detached than you realize. You have blind spots that you don’t see.
When you listen, you can not only make sure that you are both on the same page, but you can often get new ideas and different perspectives and hear about potential pitfalls that you may not have seen otherwise.
Listening also builds buy-in and ownership in the other person when you truly listen and consider their input. In fact, the more you can involve the other person in the planning of the project, the more ownership they will have in it.
Listening is a powerful tool—don’t neglect it.
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Bottom line: Communication is two-way. You should make sure things are simple and clear, and you should listen well.
5. Delegate authority with the task/project/role
Have you ever tried to work with a customer service agent who had absolutely no power to solve or do anything without talking to a manager or supervisor?
Yeah, super annoying and frustrating for you—and I’m sure for them as well.
That’s one aspect of what happens when you don’t give the authority to do the task. But there’s another way to look at it.
Imagine you run a kitchen, and you hire a new chef. You send the chef into the kitchen, but you have all the utensils and tools locked up. If he needs anything, he has to come to you and ask. If he needs help from someone, he has to ask you to ask the other person.
How ridiculous would that be?
That’s what happens when you don’t give authority to the person you are delegating to.
When you give someone authority, you are giving them the resources and decision-making power to accomplish the task.
Without it, it not only frustrates them in the work, but it can prevent them from completing it as well.
Bottom line: Give the authority needed to complete the task with the task.
6. Provide the support and training needed
You are starting a new position at a pool cleaning company. It’s your first day. Congrats!
As you walk into the chlorine-smelling building, your boss tells you to hop into the truck. She then drives you to a fancy house with a pool, drops you off, and tells you to clean the pool and that she’ll be back in two hours. She burns tires as she pulls out.
You walk to the pool, confused. You’ve never cleaned a pool before. There’s no tools, no vacuum, no net, nothing. You know, to a degree, what you are supposed to do – clean the pool, but you don’t know how or have the tools to do so.
Part of delegating as a leader is to make sure your people know how to do the work (and train them in areas they may need help in), as well as providing the tools and resources to get the job done.
While the pool job example seems silly, that happens more than one might think when people delegate in other areas.
When delegating, make sure people have the connections they need with other departments, any software, databases, or tools they will need, and provide other support where applicable.
One helpful step to take while planning and discussing the task or project with the delegatee (on top of thinking through it yourself) is to ask them what they will need. Not only that, but as the project goes along, keep asking when you meet with them in case something else has popped up.
It’s unfair to hold someone accountable to expectations that they aren’t capable of completing.
Bottom line: Provide the training and support the delegatee needs for the task.
7. The focus is on outcomes, not the how-to
If your pool cleaning boss was wise, she would train you first on how to do the job. She would show you how, watch you do it, and help correct issues as you go. As you learn and get the hang of it, she’ll be less hands because you’ve learned how to do it.
What would happen, though, and how would you feel if you were an experienced pool cleaner, and your boss stood over you the whole time? “No, you are gripping the pole wrong. Do it this way.” “Make your strokes left to right, not right to left.” And she kept going on about minuscule details of how to do it.
It would be frustrating, wouldn’t it? That’s called micromanaging.
In general, when delegating, you want to focus on the outcome of the project or task you are giving them. You set clear expectations, provide support and training, and help them learn what they need, but you give them autonomy in their work as they go. You’re focused on the outcome, not the how-to.
If someone is new, you may be more hands-on, but the whole mentality is to help them learn to be able to do it on their own, not to control.
Bottom line: Focus on the outcome, not every detail on how it’s done.
8. Help people solve problems, not do it for them
Are you the easy button for your employees?
If they are not sure about a decision or have a problem, do they come to you to fix it—and you generally do?
You may think you are being helpful, but that’s not just hurting you and your time and ability to get your stuff done, it’s hurting them and their growth and ability to make decisions and solve problems on their own. They’re relying on and are dependent on you.
Instead, your goal is to help them solve the problems themselves and learn how to make good decisions. When they come to you, instead of giving answers, ask questions. Ask what they think are the best steps, what solutions they’ve thought of, etc.
If needed, guide them in proper decision-making and problem-solving. There may be times when you offer suggestions or give direction, but your goal is to grow their ability, not solve it for them.
Bottom line: Don’t be the easy button! Help them learn, not do it for them.
9. Autonomy, purpose, and mastery are powerful forces
Your boss gives you a new project, but there are a few problems with it. First, you have no idea why you are doing it. You don’t see any purpose in it—it just seems like wasted work.
Second, he’s breathing down your neck on how to do every detail—so much that you might as well just let him do it.
And third, it’s not challenging at all! You could do this work when you were three. It’s so boring, and you can’t wait for this to be over.
But what if the opposite happened? What if your boss gave you a new project that was AMAZING! First, you understand how what you are doing fits the big picture and helps your company accomplish its goals. You know how it helps others and the impact it has.
Second, your boss has given you clear guidelines and expectations of what the outcome should look like, and he trusts you to get it done right in your own way. You were even involved in the initial planning of the project.
Not only that, third, the work challenges and makes you think. You get to grow and learn while doing this. WIN!
Which project would you want to work on?
Autonomy, purpose, and mastery (learning and growing) are powerful motivators. In fact, Daniel Pink, in his book Drive, says that these 3 are the primary human motivators.
The more you give people these three, the more motivated your employees will be in your work.
As you delegate work, do your best to implement all three the best you can. If possible, let them be part of the planning and give them autonomy in their work within whatever guidelines that might be there.
If possible, give work that challenges and grows. Show them the impact of the work, how it impacts others, and how it even impacts their own goals.
Bottom line: Give people purpose, autonomy, and mastery in their work.
10. Your goal is for them to take ownership
How people treat their homes can often depend on if they own the house or if they are renting it. While many people do treat the homes they rent as if it was theirs, there are those who treat them poorly because they are not.
They just do the minimum upkeep (if that) because they live there. They aren’t invested in the property. They may even trash it, just because they can.
When it’s theirs, and they own it, they are much more likely to work to keep it in shape and take care of it. They treat it better because it’s theirs, and it’s not just a house they will leave at some point in the near future.
Similarly, that’s how it can be with delegating tasks. When employees just see it as something given to them that they must do, with no ownership of the task, then it’s like they are renting it. There’s no personal vesting in it.
There’s no motivation for upkeep or going above and beyond. They are just doing the work because they are told. It’s somebody else’s, not there’s. They are likely to do the minimum they have to.
On the other hand, when employees take ownership, it’s like they own the house. They are personally vested in it to make sure it succeeds. They take personal responsibility to get it right and even go above and beyond with it.
To help your team take ownership, apply the three in #9, and make sure to read this article here:
Bottom line: Help your team take ownership of their work.
If you want to succeed, follow the principles
As you went through the principles, were there any that stood out to you? Any that you feel you need to work on?
Then start applying it today.
Delegation is important, so learn and put these principles into practice so that you can make your team highly effective.
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