Delegation is a Strategy

Monday, February 19 2024
delegation is a strategy

Delegation is a strategy and if we fail to leverage its potential our organizations suffer. Organizations are either growing or stagnating; there is no ‘status quo’. If growth is a priority, then, you would think thoughtful leaders would ensure that they delegate effectively.

But business leaders and managers often don’t delegate because they:

  • Believe nobody can do it better than they can.
  • Fear others will believe they (the leaders) are expendable.
  • Procrastinate then don’t have time to delegate.
  • Fail to build competency in their organization.
  • Fail to build capacity in their organization.

Why Delegate?

There are three key reasons to delegate:

  1. If you are a leader who does not delegate, you are leaving your company open to ‘bus risk’… the unpleasant consequences if a bus hits you.
  2. You are also suppressing growth opportunities for staff, which will result in employee attrition due to lack of challenge and opportunity.
  3. You are frittering away your time handling marginal activities, distracting you from a more strategic focus.

It’s not enough to commit to delegation yourself, although setting a good example is a great idea.  Delegation is a strategy, so make it a priority throughout the organization:

  • Avoid dump and run practices where managers slough off menial tasks to their subordinates.
  • Review job descriptions looking for activities that can be delegated.
  • Identify individuals with the skills or potential to undertake more work, especially stretch assignments.
  • Add delegation as a talking point in your staff coaching sessions:
    • “Are you getting enough opportunity to do new things?”
    • “I’ve given you a number of extra assignments lately, how are you finding the workload?”

Levels of Delegations

Another important consideration when delegating is that people are at different levels of confidence, competency, and capacity. So, a good way to assess the delegation approach is to remember the acronym C.A.S.T.:

  • Complete authority – in this situation, the person can make decisions without seeking approval.
  • Acts immediately – the direct report can make the decision to act, but reports any variance back to you.
  • Seeks approval – decisions are made by the direct report, but they get guidance before acting.
  • Takes instructions – they do not make decisions, but await instructions from you.

Include accountability reviews during coaching to ensure that what was committed to gets done. That’s one strategic priority you shouldn’t delegate!