Achieving Results By Letting Go - The Art of Delegating

Are you a master of doing it all, juggling priorities, constant meetings and email overload?

When I ask leaders what change they could make to become more effective, one of the most common responses is that they need to delegate more. They recognize the need to delegate most of what comes across their desk but they don't always do it.

There is just too much work to go around and as the business can least afford a misstep, we become more hands-on. The danger with this approach is that by focusing on getting things done, we may begin to lose the strategic perspective and there is a very fine line between supporting employees and micromanaging them.

The approach you take to delegating tasks is likely to have a major impact on your ability to focus on the strategic aspects of your role and your employee's commitment, motivation and performance. When the pressure is on, delegating well is one of the most crucial leadership skills.

Here are some practical things that you can do to improve the way you delegate tasks.

1. Communicate a clear and compelling direction for your business. Effective delegation begins with empowerment. To be fully empowered your managers and employees need to understand how their work fits within the larger vision and strategy of the organization. With this understanding, they are more likely to make better decisions and work with each other to achieve common goals.

2. Clarify the scope of work. Think about the scope of the work and your expectations. What specific outcomes are you looking for and by what date? How much authority should you delegate? What resources are available to support this project? What are the dependencies? Who else needs to be kept in the loop? What level of priority does this task have in relations to other tasks that have already been delegated?

3. Ensure that the right responsibilities are given to the right people. Match the scope of the task to each employee's capabilities, responsibilities, motivations and aspirations. One idea from Marshall Goldsmith, author and leadership guru, is to solicit feedback from your direct reports as part of your delegation process. "Have each direct report list her or his key areas of responsibility. Schedule one-on-one sessions with each person. Review each area of responsibility and ask, "Are there cases where you believe that I get too involved and can let go more? Are there cases when I need to get more involved and give you some more help?" When leaders go through this exercise, they almost always find that in some cases, more delegation is wanted, and in others it is not. In fact, more help is needed"

4. Adjust for people. People are different - different communication styles, skills, values, capabilities and experiences. But often, the approach we take to delegation has more to do with our personal style and how much time we have rather than the needs and requirements of a particular individual.

5. Delegate outcomes not instructions. If you want others to take responsibility, you need to let go of how things get done. You cannot delegate and still make all the decisions. There are some things that you do need to control. Some behaviors and processes that need to be adhered to. Don't let go of the standards that define who you are, but do let go of needing to own everything. Be clear up front about where there is room for creativity and flexibility and where there is not.

6. Engage in conversation to check for clarity. Make testing for understanding a part of your standard way of working. When you delegate a task, ask that person to summarize their interpretation of what needs to be done and listen to their response to determine if both of you are in agreement regarding the task being delegated and the outcome you desire.

7. Be available. Even when you delegate you still retain ultimate responsibility and therefore you still need to be involved to some extent. Don't assume that employees will automatically come to you if they need help. The key to delegation is to be clear about what the outcome needs to be and then check in from time to time to make sure the person is on track and to see if they need any assistance. Inspect what you expect to build accountability and show that you care

8. Make feedback part of the culture. Ask for feedback on yourself. Provide positive and negative feedback often. When mistakes happen, and they will, treat them as learning experiences, by focusing on identifying what can be learned or done differently next time to avoid making the mistake again. Let go of blame but hold on to accountability and learning.