Delegation and Responsibility

One of the key qualities to be found in effective leaders is the capacity to effectively delegate duties and responsibility to others. So just what is it that enables you to do so effectively? It is in fact quite simple but then aren't the simple things so easy to get wrong with such dramatic results? There is a very simple rule to be applied when deciding when and when not to delegate.

If someone else can do what you are doing 80% as well as you can do the job, then DELEGATE the activity.

The process for actually delegating to others is not so hard to follow. There are 4 steps to be followed.

Step	Description
1. Select & Train	This entails firstly selection of the right candidate, identifying a suitable delegate. This you will need to do based on your own observations and the feedback of fellow workers. Of curse once you have identified the delegate, you must provide them with the training they will require to effectively perform the role to be assigned. They will need to acquire the skills and knowledge required to produce the result you seek from them.
2. Delegate	Now that you have chosen your delegate and provided them with the training needed to enable them to produce the results you actually delegate to them, this is you stepping back and relinquishing some of your power. In doing this there are 4 things that you must do as part of the delegation process itself. a) You must firstly articulate the desired end result from that person. b) You must remember that you are transferring RESPONSIBILITY and in order to do so you must seek their PERMISSION. Ask them, listen to what they say and read their body language. If they do not want this then don't give it to them as they will simply not meet your expectations. c) Transfer the authority that comes with the role but you must be sure to specify the limits that will exist over such authority. Everyone needs to have their boundaries defined. d) Finally and most importantly you must create permission for this person to make a mistake.
3. Monitor the Results	When you delegated you identified the desired results. These will perform part of the KPI's for this person in their new role. You will need to agree on these KPI's, standard of work to be performed and timeframe within which they will be measured. You must then put in place a process to measure these.
4. Feedback	Once you have the results you must provide feedback to the delegate on their progress being sure to: reward and refine desirable results analyse incorrect outcomes and feed back into the training loop reassigning or penalising wilful incorrect behaviour (ie intent)