Why delegating is hard
- Fear of quality. "Nobody will do it as well as me." Often true at first, rarely after a few weeks.
- Time to explain. Explaining takes longer than doing, once. But you do it a hundred times.
- Nothing is written down. Without a written method, delegating means passing everything on verbally, every time.
- Fuzzy limits. The person doesn't know how far they can go, so they come back to ask.
- Enjoying the work. Some topics you like handling. Human, but it has a cost.
What to delegate first
List what you did last week, and sort each task:
| Type of task | What to do |
|---|---|
| Recurring, and someone else could do it | Delegate first, with a written method |
| One-off, but a learning opportunity for someone | Delegate with support |
| Strategic, only you can do it | Keep |
| Useless | Stop |
Recurring tasks pay off most: once the method is written, it serves every time.
A 5-step method
- Write the method, or better, get interviewed to write it. One page is enough. See documenting business processes.
- Set the frame: the expected result, the deadline, and above all what the person can decide alone (an amount, a type of client, a level of risk).
- Choose the right person, for their skills and appetite, and tell them why it's them.
- Support the first few times: you do it together, then they do it and you review, then they do it alone.
- Follow the result, not the gesture: a regular check-in on what was achieved, not step-by-step control.
Delegate decisions, not just tasks
The real gain comes when you delegate decisions too. For the decisions that always come back to you, write down who can make the call and within what limits: a discount up to a percentage, a spend up to an amount, a schedule, choosing a supplier. That's what stops delegated work bouncing back to you at the first question.
The test. If your team member has to call you on holiday to move forward, it isn't delegated, it's on loan.
Pitfalls
- Taking it back at the first slip: the person won't dare decide again.
- Delegating without saying why: the task becomes a chore.
- Only delegating what you dislike: it shows, and it demotivates.
- Never checking in: without feedback, the person doesn't know if they're doing well.
Further reading: empowering your team and the 10 most common team problems.