Most of us in leadership roles don't struggle because we can't do the work; we struggle because we try to do all the work.
Delegation is the solution, but delegating can feel uncomfortable for a few reasons. Some of the barriers to delegation are psychological, while others are practical.
- It feels risky to delegate, especially if there's a tight deadline. When you know you can do it, and do it well, it's a challenge to trust others to step up. What if they can't do it as well? What if they take longer? Isn't it going to take me longer to show them when I can do it quickly myself?
- Delegation can feel like you're letting go or giving up. When you've done all the tasks for years, it's strange to offload them. Why am I struggling to get it all done now? Have I lost my edge? Am I abdicating my responsibility?
- There's a leadership shift from personal output to team outcomes. What if they don't understand it as well as I do? How much support will they require? What if the end product isn't up to my standards?
- I'm overburdening people when I could do it myself. What will they think if I ask them to do more when everyone is already so busy? Will team members think poorly of me? Isn't it unfair for me to offload tasks just because I can?
- I feel like I'm giving everyone else the work and not doing enough myself. What am I going to do with all this "idle" time? Shouldn't I be able to multi-task?
Learning to delegate effectively gives leaders more time for strategic, high-level work and helps to prevent leadership burnout. Delegation should become more routine because the more senior you are, you should be doing less and thinking more—strategizing, solving and planning.
It's also prudent in today's environment, with constant change, ongoing uncertainty and overload—not to mention leaner, flatter teams—to build the capacity of your team members.
Delegation is a leadership skill that requires you to lead differently.
After building a successful career because you've been reliable, responsible and get things done, you're going to relinquish some control and give your team members the opportunity to learn and grow. Essentially, you're moving from doing things to enabling others to do things.
According to the HBR, leaders should consider how NOT delegating is counter-productive. Leaders doing work that others could do more cost-effectively isn't fiscally responsible. They recommend asking:Am I the best and cheapest person who can do this work? That may sound crass, but it's an accurate question to ask yourself. If you're not the "best and cheapest," then you should delegate. Otherwise, you're staying stuck in execution instead of leadership.
Additionally, when leaders don't delegate, team members aren't able to develop more responsibility and hone their skills. Developing talent is vital to improving employee retention.
Perspective is key: In the short-term, doing things yourself might seem faster. However, in the long-term, delegation benefits you, your team and the organization.
What leaders get wrong early
There are common mistakes leaders often make when they decide to delegate.
1. Over-prescribing how to do the work
The task is delegated, along with instructions on the sequence of tasks to do, how to format the work, what the final product should be and how to approach it. If you're doing all the thinking, you're micro-managing (which isn't true delegation).
For example, over-prescribing the how might be instructing:
"We need a report to convince the board that the satellite office in the north should stay open. Use this template from when we got their approval to open the office, follow this outline, hit these points, run it by our in-house lawyer and then send me the draft to edit."
Delegating the what and the why instead of the how might be instructing:
"Draft a report for the board that builds a strong case for keeping the office in the north open. They're considering closing it to save money, which we feel is short-sighted. Use whatever format works, consult the in-house lawyer if necessary and let's review your draft together at the end of next week."
Leaders over-prescribe because they want to help speed up the process and mitigate the risk of mistakes. Unfortunately, what usually happens is team members either disengage because they don't feel any ownership, or they wait to be told what to do. Folks need to be able to make decisions and use their judgment if they're going to build their capability.
Pro-tip: If you ask a team member why they made a decision, and they only talk about the instructions they followed (not the what and the why), odds are the how may have been over-prescribed. Next time, encourage them to figure out the why behind their steps.
2. Delegation without clear decision rights
It's important that folks know with certainty who decides, who executes and who approves.
When ownership is not clearly defined, the team member might do work only to find out someone else could veto it (and rework is frustrating). Decisions slow down because team members aren't sure whether they need approval.
The leader delegating might also feel frustrated. Why are they pulling me back in on this when I delegated it to them?
The problem is that without clear decision rights, it's delegation without authority. Team members need to know what they're allowed to decide if they're going to own the outcomes.
At Padraig, we recommend using the RASCI Matrix to master delegating effectively. This tool helps you assign and manage tasks for your team by determining who is Responsible, Accountable, Supportive, Consulted and Informed.
3. Saving feedback for the end
While you don't want to be the leader who micro-manages, delegation needs feedback early during the work to improve it or course correct.
When you save feedback until the work is complete, it feels like judgment because it's too late to make adjustments.
Any early mistakes may have compounded, rework is going to cost more time and affect morale and trust is damaged. Team members often feel blindsided. Why didn't you say something earlier? I would have fixed it.
It's finding the sweet spot of checking in without micro-managing. This could be a quick conversation to see how things are going, asking for a brief update and giving a bit of guidance if needed.
4. Not asking for your own feedback
Once the task is complete, ask some questions. If it went well, ask them what was clear and helpful when you delegated the task that allowed them to be successful. If there were challenges, share your concerns and ask how you might have given them direction that was clearer for them.
To avoid frustration, let's review some delegation basics.
Using the DELEGATE Model
There's a model for delegation that helps leaders give clarity and empower their team members.
Here are the steps to follow:
D — Define outcomes, boundaries and decision rights
What does success look like?
What's in bounds or out of bounds?
Who decides what? (Use the RASCI Matrix)
E — Establish success measures and the timing of check-ins
How is progress going to be tracked?
When and how frequently will check-ins be?
L — List resources, constraints and stakeholders
What supports are there?
What limits are there?
Who needs to be consulted or informed?
E — Empower with the authority to act
True responsibility requires authority. Clearly indicate who has authority.
G — Guide by being available and coaching rather than giving advice or direction
Be available. Ask questions in the early stages. Use a coach approach.
A — Assess progress against outcomes
Focus on results. Put aside personal preferences (for style or format).
T — Thank to reinforce positive behaviours
Name what worked. Use gratitude to reinforce ownership, judgment and initiative.
E — Evaluate to capture learning for next time
Review results.
What would we repeat?
What would we change?
Delegation in practice
Here's a scenario to illustrate how a leader can use the DELEGATE Model.
A leader delegates a project to update the automated cross-team onboarding process. They:
Define the outcome: a clearer, faster onboarding process by quarter-end that meets compliance requirements. With respect to decision rights, the owner of the project has the authority to redesign the process but has to flag any legal changes for review by in-house counsel.
Establish two check-ins: a midpoint review and a final beta test. Success measures are decided as time to productivity and new-hire feedback.
List resources: prior onboarding materials for reference, access to HR materials and consults with key stakeholders in operations, HR and IT.
Empower the owner of the project to run meetings with stakeholders and to make recommendations without prior approval.
Guide by being available and using coaching.
Assess progress at the midpoint. Adjust scope as necessary (but don't take control).
Thank the owner of the project at the end, acknowledging successes and effort.
Evaluate what worked and what didn't to inform the next project. It's important to learn from failures as well as successes.
Optimal conditions for delegation
Delegation works in the right environment.
Your team members need to feel psychological safety so they aren't afraid to ask questions, make decisions and learn.
They need scheduled check-ins, not constant hovering, and public backing of decisions they've made (even if they're not perfect or not what you'd have done if you hadn't delegated).
Delegation pitfalls to avoid
There are some things that will undermine delegation.
- Jumping in to rescue folks. It's instinctual to step in when you see an issue, but it's important to wait and let them figure things out if they can. Remain available, but stay back and let the learning happen.
- Cloudy communication about decisions or check-ins. Saying, "Keep me posted" is unclear. Delegation is best with well defined parameters.
- Vague timelines. Set dates and deadlines to give the framework for action. Folks who aren't sure about timing may feel anxious or not realize they should be working with more urgency until it's too late.
Delegation takeaways
Effective delegation isn't about doing less—it's a method to be a better leader.
Using the DELEGATE Model is a valuable tool you can use to refine the delegation process and keep things on track.
Coach's Questions
Are there certain points where you step back into work you've delegated? What's something you can delegate this week? Which decision rights will make ownership real? What are some check-in questions to help you assess progress without taking the work back? How can you offer appreciation to reinforce positive behaviours?
