How to Decide What to Delegate
In our last post on delegation, we focused on situational leadership and how it impacts the role a leader plays in transferring work and responsibility to others. In this post the focus will shift to what one should delegate.
Choosing tasks to delegate can be trickier than it seems. There are some tasks, such as high-risk or crisis-related activities, that leaders should never delegate. Other responsibilities, including those that will be performed once or rarely and require much guidance and direction, should also not be included.
To determine when delegation is most appropriate, consider these key questions:
Is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself?
Is there someone else who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the task?
Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person's skills?
Is this a task that will recur with some frequency, in a similar form, in the future?
Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively and stay on top of things? Time must be available for adequate training, for questions and answers, to check in on progress, and to re-imagine/rework when necessary.
Let’s look at an example.
John, the CEO, has become bogged down recently by vendor negotiations. When the company was in its infancy, this was something that he often did because he was good at it and every dollar mattered. As the business has grown, John needs to become more focused on strategy and scaling.
Mary, a relatively new hire, has been working with John on some negotiations and has demonstrated the qualities that make him think that she’d be a good delegatee. John also wants to build Mary’s leadership capacity for future areas within the company. He recognizes that to train her will take some time up front but believes that the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term impact, so he pitches his idea to Mary.
This example answered all five questions above in a way that justified delegation:
Is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself? Yes, vendor negotiations is a responsibility that Mary can perform, though John will remain involved.
Is there someone else who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the task? Indeed, Mary is available to train to become more proficient at this task.
Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person's skills? Yes.
Is this a task that will recur with some frequency, in a similar form, in the future? This task is performed often.
Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively and stay on top of things? John committed enough time to delegate the job effectively and stay on top of things.
Here are some other related tips to consider when delegating.
Start with a small project, or one that doesn’t have to be completed in a specific way. Where possible, keep the stakes low. Look for small, relatively inconsequential projects that have some flexibility built into how it gets done.
Leave ample time for mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable, especially for less-experienced colleagues. Allow added time where possible to ensure that mistakes can be identified and corrected in advance of when it is needed.