Techniques for Effective Delegation

In the 16-hour "Effective Leadership" course I teach to many companies who want to develop leaders among their managers, task delegation is a critical skill for managers at any level. Delegating involves working with a collaborator to set goals, giving them sufficient authority and responsibility to achieve those goals, often by providing them with 1) substantial freedom in deciding how the goals will be achieved, 2) resources to help them reach the goals, 3) an assessment of the quality of their effort and goal achievement, 4) addressing performance issues and/or rewarding their performance. Ultimately, the manager is responsible for achieving the goals, but chooses to achieve those goals by delegating the task to someone else.

Delegating is different from directing work. When work is directed, the manager is telling someone what to do and how to do it. There is generally much less freedom in how the collaborator does the task, and it is also often much less participation and learning on the part of the collaborators. Delegating can sometimes be a big challenge for new managers, they are worried about having to give up control or struggle to have confidence in the skills of others. Managers who can delegate effectively can free up a lot of their own time, help their direct reports cultivate experience in learning, and can develop their own leadership skills, skills that are fundamental to problem solving, goal achievement, and learning. How can you delegate for the growth and performance of your collaborators? I suggest the following general steps for implementing delegation.