Effective Delegation

Leading at Light Speed is a groundbreaking leadership book by Eric Douglas describing the 10 Quantum Leaps which build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization. Chapter 4 details how to Manage Decisions Well.

To lead at light speed means leading through others and leveraging their talents. Decentralizing the decision making process is what it means. One of the keys is effective delegation that is inevitable.

Delegating means trusting someone else to make a decision. It is OK to require your team to consult with you. But once the decision is delegated, you must be prepared for a different decision than the one you might make yourself. Regardless of whom you delegate to That person has to be empowered They must listen to your views and suggestions but they must feel free to develop their own alternative solutions if they feel their alternative is a better choice.

You can delegate a lot or just a little. There’s a huge difference between handing the controls of a submarine over to a new commander and delegating to a clerical worker a project to document the number of registered taxi cabs in a major metropolitan city.. Regardless, when you delegate, you delegate all the related tasks.

Delegation hinges on trust. Strong leaders guide their employees through careful preparation and providing them increasing levels of responsibility. Ideally, when you delegate, you turn over responsibility to someone whose judgment you’ve come to trust as much as your own. Ideally, you’ve also established ground rules or principles that define how much communication you need to feel you are sufficiently informed of other people’s decisions.

A strong leader helps their people succeed by delegating. So what is flawless delegation? It involves the following five steps:

1. What are your expectations Define them Make a clear plan for how the outcome you want will be achieved. Context and background are important elements Provide them. Be clear about the budget and other constraints (for example, policy guidelines, legal constraints, stakeholder issues). Define how you are going to measure success and failure. Explain how you wish to be consulted – and who else needs to be consulted. You should map the delegated decision and its relationship to the big picture The entire decision-making process.

2. What level of quality do you desire? Describe it Typically this is done through revisiting the successes of the past. Take some time Allow your employees to ask questions Clarify your expectations. Make sure everyone understands.

3. Set checkpoints: Define the timetable for completion and any milestones. Write down your deadlines and distribute copies to all concerned.

4. Ask and provide assistance to your team Find out their individual needs. It’s up to you to decide if the person is ready to assume the responsibility. There is nothing wrong with offering some coaching even if it has not been requested.

5. Micromanaging is not delegation When you delegate a decision don’t micromanage. It is OK to require written status reports. But be careful lest you be perceived as  reneging on your delegation.

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