Delegation Done Right: The Leadership Skill That Multiplies Impact.

If you think delegation means telling others what to do, you’re creating chaos, resentment, and inefficiency.

Delegation is among the top 5 biggest mistakes managers repeatedly make. But if used right, it’s also one of the most powerful tools for a leader to use. It only takes 7 steps to do it right and I will walk you through all of them to learn how to delegate once and for all. Let’s begin. 

Key points:

Step 1: Pick the right task.

Step 2: Choose the right person.

Step 3: Define the why.

Step 4: Set clear expectations.

Step 5: Give Ownership, Not Just Tasks.

Step 6: Provide Resources & Authority.

Step 7: Let go.

Delegation is a skill that is widely recognized and talked about, yet at the same time presents one of the biggest challenges for leaders. When done wrong, it’s not only an issue for the leader, who has more work to do, but it also impacts the productivity, morale, and turnover in the team and company. And these cost a business. A lot. So what is delegation, really? 

Instead of giving you definition of a delegation, I will show you what delegation is not:

• Getting rid of work you don’t want to do.
• Testing other person’s abilities.
• A one-off transaction.
• Dumping the task without transferring the authority to make decisions.
• Micromanaging from the sidelines.
• “Figure it out” task.

It is simple in concept, but lack of trust or fear of losing control makes it a challenge. And it’s just bad business, for everyone involved.

There is a good chance you work 5 days a week, Monday to Friday. How would you like to have every single Friday work-free while getting the same amount of work done? Wouldn’t that be great? With the right delegation, you could! 

Poor delegation costs 20% of time, so in a week, that is a full work day wasted. For a business, revenues could be even 33% higher, just because of proper delegation. Those are really big numbers for a small change, so let me show you how to delegate like a pro in 7 steps. 

Step 1: Pick the right task. 

Not everything can be delegated. Does the task require your expertise? Does the task require higher access or authority levels than the person you could delegate to has? Does this task have a clear outcome, or is it more fluid in nature? 

The more concrete and clear the outcomes for the task, the better, especially when beginning to learn how to delegate effectively.

Step 2: Choose the right person.

Match task to strengths & interests. Don’t just dump on the person with “free time.” There are people who thrive on new challenges and are happy to learn something new and expand, and there are those who prefer a much softer and slower pace, for whom suddenly taking on a bigger responsibility would be a burden, not a boost of morale. And if the task requires a set of skills that the person doesn’t possess nor didn’t show an interest in before, it can cause you more effort and work than it should. 

Choosing the right person is important. 

Step 3: Define the why.

While for you it may be obvious, or something you don’t even need to think about, there is a good chance that the person you are delegating to has no idea why this task is important. While delegating the task, explain why it needs to be done in the first place. 

Does it matter for the bigger picture? Does it drive growth? Or is it just one of those meaningless time-suckers that are there because no one stops to ask why we are still doing it? 

Knowing why you do something increases the motivation and productivity, so while it may seem useless to you, it actually sets the stage for everything else. 

Step 4: Set clear expectations.

By now you have explained to your chosen employee what the task is and why it matters. Now is the time to define the details: when is the task done, what does it mean? What does done look like? Is there a deadline, or best and worst scenarios? Are there milestones? What is a quality you expect? What makes the task done ‘well’ vs ‘it’s not what I expected’? 

These things will be, again, probably obvious to you. But the other person is not a mind reader, and what means ‘quality’ or ‘standard’ or ‘obvious’ to you, doesn’t mean it’s the same for them. Agreeing on all of those details is key. 

A big part of this step is to agree on a check in system. Depending on the task, find the schedule that would be both good for you, but also not stifling for the other person. Don’t micromanage. It is easy to fall into this trap. But the point of setting a clear check in system is to ensure things are on the right track - so you don’t finish the whole task and only then get feedback, without you needing to look over their shoulder all the time. 

Whether weekly or monthly meeting or email, or daily short chat or message, create a check-in system (and clarify how and when it will be done) in advance. This is the stage where you avoid the frustrations and disappointments by clearly defining the expectations. 

Step 5: Give Ownership, Not Just Tasks.

Did you ever try to bake a cake with your mom, or helped your dad in the garage? Do you remember how they say “you are going to help them”, but then they never let you do anything. Instead of giving you instruction and feedback to guide you, they keep interfering and telling you how you are doing things wrong. In the end, instead of you doing the task, or even helping, you are just standing there listening to them talk while they overtake the whole task?

Well, don’t be like that. 

If you are delegating a task to someone, you are also delegating the ownership. They may do things differently from the way you would do it (and if there is a necessity for a standard process, you should have mentioned it to them in the previous step). They are (probably) doing it for the first time. Give them a space to figure things out for themselves; to find the way that works for them. 

Transfer the responsibility to them. Ownership means the person you delegate to owns the success and the failure of that task/project. Say: “You own this project”, not “do this step for me.”

This step is confusing and often ignored, but really important to get right! When delegating a task we have done many times, it’s natural that we found a way that works for us, and we expect that others will do it like we do. But to expect it and demand it are two different things. 

The focus of the delegation is the outcome: that’s why in step 4 you clarified all those details: what success looks like, what is the outcome, what is the deadline, what is the quality you want, what makes the task done vs not good enough, etc. 

But how they get to those results is up to them. That is the responsibility and ownership that makes a difference between poor vs good delegation. Why does it matter? It increases initiative, creativity, and problem-solving, reduces your daily firefighting,  improves engagement, because people take pride in results they control. 

Simply put: better results, less work for you, everyone is better off. 

But how do you know if you transferred ownership? A few signals of it are: 

1) They feel empowered to make decisions. 

2) They are accountable for the result, not just “doing what you said.” 

3) They have access to the resources and authority to execute. (next point) 

The important part here is to notice that you will still be available for them to come to you with questions or doubts. You are there to guide the person if they need it, without being judged or criticised. You are the support, not the executor of the task.

Step 6: Provide Resources & Decision Making Authority.

We are getting there! They know what they are supposed to do, why it’s important, they have the details of the task, and know they are responsible for its success. Now, you need to give them all the tools they may need: access to files, a tool update, information relevant to the task, etc. It’s your responsibility to provide these resources. It’s in your benefit to make it easier for them, too. 

With all the tools and information, you also give them decision-making power. They need to be able to make decisions relevant to the task. Why does it matter? If you are delegating the task and giving them ownership of it, but won’t allow them to make decisions, then they become a marionette - you’ll still be pulling the strings. And that is not delegating. 

You will still have to firefight, you will still have to be there all the time (to be able to make decisions), you will still have to think about it. You are not delegating, you are creating more work for yourself. 

Step 7: Let go.

You are ready to let the task be delegated. It will feel weird at first, but it’s necessary in the long run. 

Don’t “take the task back” when it’s not done your way or when they stumble a bit. It’s all part of the process. Focus on outcomes, not perfection. When the task is done, do a review: celebrate what went well, talk about what could be done better (in corporate called the “lessons learned” part). 

Remember that was a challenge for the person, where they had the chance to grow and become better. If they did, even if it wasn’t perfect or done your way, it’s still a success. 

That’s it. If you follow these seven steps your delegation skills will elevate your leadership to another level, and make room for more of the high level tasks you should be dealing with as a leader. 

Lastly, a Pro-level Tip: Ask the person you delegate to to repeat everything to you but in their words - that way you can ensure they are not only agreeing with what you say but truly understand what is being asked of them. A simple but powerful thing. 

You are now ready to start delegating like a pro. Make your life easier, get better results, more productive and motivated employees, and become better than your competitors. Because, why shouldn’t you?

Until next time,

-A.