Tips for Effective Delegation
Jan 24, 2024
Delegating effectively is the managerial equivalent of parallel parking: getting it right the first time is hard, everyone has an opinion on how you should be doing it and it’s rarely perfect once you’ve done it.
We know that team members that are entrusted with some decision making develop critical knowledge sharing habits. It also empowers individual self-leadership across the team. Despite this, managers don’t do it as often as they should because they find it hard to strike a productive balance between detachment and micromanagement.
Some managers simply don’t delegate because of mistrust or a need for total control, (possibly fuelled by past career experiences). Others, especially – in our experience - new managers and those in fast growing start-ups, take on more work than they can realistically handle just to shield their team from overload and burnout.
The signs that delegating is hard (like parallel parking) are everywhere.
A recent study by Victor Maas and Bei Shi of Amsterdam Business School* shows how managers are more likely to delegate tasks with demanding performance targets.
Even if you have good intentions to empower your team, these might still be overshadowed by the concern it will be you, and only you, that will be personally accountable for the decisions they make.
Explicit decision-making frameworks can help with determining which decisions and actions are delegated and which need your clear involvement. While not flawless, frameworks like RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) or alternatives such as DARE can clarify everyone’s role and responsibility to help manage the delegation process**.
Jeff Bezos once articulated a helpful distinction between type-1 decisions (important and irreversible) and type-2 decisions (reversible). This categorisation helps guide the delegation process by suggesting deliberate processes for type-1 decisions and quicker, smaller group involvement for type-2 decisions.
Our own goal setting tool, the ‘Triple A Tool’ guides you on how to align your team behind a shared goal whilst allowing the autonomy and self-leadership for your team members to decide how to arrive at the goal. It will also help you and your team stay focused as you begin to accelerate your productivity and face different challenges.
You can download it here: https://www.goslowtogofast.co.uk/forms/2148455308
Oatly Senior Programme Manager and Community Member, Katie Gilman: “The 'Triple A’ tool is one of the most powerful I’ve used to focus on the ‘one thing’ me and my team need to do right now, to move forwards. Our work together is more productive than ever because of this”.
Whatever tool or method you use, delegation takes a LOT of practice (like, yes, the parking metaphor). We've got some experience and tools to help you do it better so reach out directly if you ever want to chat about that issue your struggling with right now.
Happy team building,
Hazel & Nick
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