The Dialogue of Delegation: Be Focused and Intentional

The ability to delegate is a key leadership competency. Yet, many supervisors and managers fail to do so. When asked why they don’t delegate the most common reasons are: “It’s easier to do it myself.” “It takes more time to explain what I want someone else to do than to do it myself.” “I can do it better anyway.” As challenging, and even daunting as delegation may be (since the “buck stops” with the delegator, to rephrase Harry S. Truman’s famous Presidential quip), if the delegator communicates strategically, clearly, concisely and intentionally, it makes the job easier. Key to the successful communication is checking for understanding, and delegating to results, not process.

Here are several how-to’s:

• Follow one of Stephen Covey’s leadership habits and “Begin with End in Mind:” be strategic, what is the goal of the delegation?
• Be clear and concise in communicating the goal to be achieved: be intentional.
• Check for understanding: did the delegatee understand the goal to be achieved and her or his role in achieving it?
• Delegate to results not process: resist the temptation to micromanage.

“Begin with End in Mind:” Be Strategic – What is the Goal of the Delegation?

Before delegating the assignment, decide ahead of time what the goal should be and why it’s being requested; explain why the person or persons have been selected to carry it out; what the due date will be; who else should be involved; what resources might be needed; and, what the leader/delegator is willing to do to help out.

Example

Acme company has an increasingly diverse customer base, yet the sales staff is largely homogeneous. CEO Carl wants the salesforce to reflect its customer base. At the beginning of January 2023, he asks Hilda HR VP to make this happen. Hilda knows that ACME has struggled with achieving a diverse sales force. Although the track record has improved dramatically, the retention rate falls short of ACME’s norms and the CEO’s expectations. Hilda wants Eric Equal Opportunity Director to develop a practical, easy-to-implement diversity, inclusion, and belonging program for the senior executives in Sales to be implemented on July 1, 2023.

In thinking through the goal, which is both hiring and retention, the delegation’s aim is focused on the end result, which is further broken down into achievable tasks and deliverables.

Hilda’s delegation to Eric:

1. What the end result should be and why it’s being requested: “Eric, exciting news: the CEO wants us to develop a diversity, inclusion and belonging program, with a focus on the sales force. We need our salespeople to reflect our customer base. I’d like you to develop three, easy-to-implement processes with proven results.”
2. Explain why the person is being selected: “I want you to lead the charge because of your successes to date in diversifying the production and financial departments, and your great wealth of knowledge and overall experience in this field.”
3. What the due date will be: “The program should be ready to implement by July 2023, which isn’t much time. I will need a timetable from you in two weeks that breaks down each task to be done, and who will do it, to ensure success.”
4. Who else should be involved: “I’ll leave the final decision up to you as to the composition of the working team; however, given the brief period of time we have to develop the program, pilot the three processes with a small group, and then make tweaks, if needed, I’d suggest you limit the group to five total, including those from production, sales, and recruitment & hiring.”
5. What resources might be needed: “I’ll need you to sketch out a budget and any other resources needed and get back to me along with the timetable – in two weeks.”
6. Role of the delegator: “I will oversee the project as a senior partner on the team. First, establish an agreed-to timeline, with responsible parties identified for the various tasks. I’ll check in weekly, and ensure we stay on track. I am also the main resource for help should any roadblocks be erected along the way or the timetable slips. My door is open.”

Be Clear and Concise in the Communication: Be Intentional

Focus on each element of the delegation, and select the words that best capture the goal to be achieved. In reviewing Hilda’s request to Eric, did it meet the test of clear, concise, and intentional communication?

1. The End Result Desired: Three easy-to-implement and proven processes to diversify the sales force. The why? The salesforce should reflect the customer base.
2. Rationale for the Person Selected: Eric’s success with other departments and his proven track record at ACME and elsewhere.
3. Due Date: The program should be up and running by July 1st; the timeline with each component part is needed back in two weeks.
4. Who Should be Involved: The decision will be left up to Eric, however, because of the short time frame, the group should be small, and include the internal customer (Sales), someone from production (an internal success), and the group that will secure new employees (Recruitment & Hiring).
5. What Resources Will be Needed: Eric to provide Hilda with a budget and “any other resources needed” within two weeks.
6. Role of the Delegator: Hilda will oversee the project as the senior partner on the team, checking in weekly to ensure all is on track with the timeline and ultimate goal. She is also the ultimate responsible party and, if needed, she would intervene to ensure the goal is met.

Check for Understanding: Was the Communication Understood?

In general, supervisors and managers know what they want, and often assume others are on the same page. Thus, the communication often isn’t fulsome enough to get the message across. Where do the communication responsibilities lie? If we turn a supervisory statement “you didn’t understand me,” and replace it with “I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t clear in my communication,” the success rate of the communication being understood increases dramatically.

Thus, if the delegator owns the communication, and accepts responsibility for being understood, rather than relying upon the delegatee to understand her or him, the delegator should check for understanding. What might that look like? In our example, Hilda could say “Eric, I know this may be coming out of leftfield for you, but I’ve been pondering this matter since Carl called me into his office yesterday. I rattled off a number of items, and I want to make sure I was clear. Do me a favor — go back to your office and send me an email with your understanding of my expectations. If I wasn’t as clear as I was in my own mind, I’ll edit your email and get back to you. My goal is to ensure I was clear and understandable.”

Delegate to Results Not Process: Resist the Temptation to Micromanage

Frequently supervisors and managers are fearful when delegating a project. Particularly one that is vital to the organization. They believe that it must be completed exactly the way the delegator would do it. After all, the delegator is confident in her or his ability to get the job done. However, that is delegating not to the results alone, but rather to both the results and the process. So long as the goal is met, the result achieved, does the process by which that happens matter? Clearly, there are times when it does; however, the vast majority of the time it does not. Delegating for results and processes could be called micromanaging by any other name, which has the effect of disempowering the employee, which often leads to a lack of motivation and commitment to excellence in the end product.

Although infrequent, let’s assume there is an important reason that the delegation must follow a specific process, or that a portion of the assignment must follow a process. The dialogue could look like this:

“Eric, as you may know, the products ACME sells are covered by patents, which are closely guarded by the Company. CEO Carl is committed to honoring others’ patents, copyrights, and the like. Please be mindful of this when you recommend the three processes. If there is one out there that another organization or individual created that meets our needs, we will offer to pay to use it. Feel free to brainstorm with colleagues outside of the company and to benchmark some of your ideas with others; just keep this in mind.” That statement communicates the process and the why and should negate any sense of disempowerment on the delegatees’ part.

It’s a Wrap

Delegation is a key leadership skill that supervisors and managers need to master along the way. Although challenging, and even frightening at times, a good delegator is also a good communicator.

Following the communication tips discussed will go a long way in ensuring the delegation is a success!

• “Begin with End in Mind:” be strategic, what is the goal of the delegation?
• Be clear and concise in communicating the goal to be achieved: be intentional.
• Check for understanding: did the delegatee understand the goal to be achieved?
• Delegate to results not process: resist the temptation to micromanage.