5 Ways Leaders Can Delegate Effectively

Leaders can develop delegation skills to enable others to act

Delegation is often looked at as the business of managers, but it is also a critical skill to develop as a leader.

As one of the most critical competencies a leader can develop, it’s also one of the most complex and challenging. Often fraught with emotions and indecision, enabling others to take action takes a high degree of intention and discernment. Here are some tips and tools for leaders ready to focus on improving their delegation skills.

1. It always comes back to you:  Leaders have no difficulty identifying why they don’t delegate, but navigating those roadblocks is a different issue. Make an honest list of all the reasons you don’t delegate including any history you have with delegation gone wrong. Share this list with a colleague requesting they challenge you to find ways to delegate more effectively. Ask yourself what you learned about a delegation mis-step.

2. Create a “what if” list: What if the project you delegated could have been done better? What if the project was successful? What if you found that the way others did something actually worked better? Being aware and rehearsing these projected concerns, can actually free you to move forward. It’s amazing what we can manage when we name the concerns.

3. Create your delegation questions and checklist: Does your employee or colleague understand the purpose of the task? Do they feel they have the resources and skills to be successful? Can you explain with clarity, the outcome you want? How available will you be to answer questions? Do you need to coach for skill development or to build confidence? How do you know you have their buy in? Are you giving them the authority to make decisions on their own?

4. Share accountability: Delegation is not about just moving a task off your plate on to another. It’s really about building the competence of others around you that allows you to make space to lead. Sharing accountability is one solution to the common resistance to let go of a project. After exploring your delegation questions, set up check-in times to assess progress. Resist the urge to “tell” and seek more to understand through inquiry. Work on making your contact and coaching consistent instead of being hands-off and then swooping in with concern.

5. The bottom line: Put thought and attention to delegation as an important leadership strategy. Be clear about the authority you are delegating, how you will be available and how you will support decisions. Take every opportunity to express confidence and gratitude by pointing out the specifics of what is being accomplished and what is innovative. Model a culture of shared accountability and growth by always circling back to "what did we learn?"

Now that your toolbox is full and you have begun to enable your team, put it into practice. What would make your work week easier if you could effectively delegate a task or project to someone else? Look into the future at what projects need more significant training or lead time, and identify the key milestones you will need to delegate to others. Consider enlisting a delegation "team" to help keep you accountable. Finally, give yourself a 'project review' (when you succeed, or fail.) This will help keep you on track so you can predict roadblocks, and learn as you go.