Want to become a Pro Delegator? You might need to change your delegation approach, along with your mindset toward delegating.
Research has found that the LACK of Proper Explanation is one of the leading causes to poor delegation. So, this is s CRITICAL step. You must Explain or Outline the Objective of the Task in a Concise but understandable manner. The last part is typically the most misunderstood.
There is an Art to proper explanation of a task. You want to provide ALL of the necessary elements required but leave room for the Delegatee to perform the task the best way they see fit. You must RELINQUISH your need to CONTROL the “HOW” part of a Task.
This means you must Specifically Define exactly “WHAT” you are looking for as the OUTCOME of the completed tasks but not “HOW” the person can do the project. Sure, you can SUGGEST some steps. You can provide examples. You can discuss what you’d like the Final Product to look like. But then, once you assign, let the “HOW” go. You MUST be focused on the Due Date and the Quality of the Completed Task.
This is challenging for many people to do:
Trust.
So, be easy on yourself. This won’t happen overnight, especially if you have a history of wanting to CONTROL assigned tasks. But if you follow this system, it will provide you the confidence to begin to TRUST the people you are assigning tasks to and it will give you a MONITORING mechanism whereby you will have clear and concise tracking of performance. If you have someone who you end up never being able to Trust, then more than likely you have a PERFORMANCE ISSUE and with a written record via email of your Assigned Tasks, it will be quite easy to address the performance issues with the Employee or Vendor.
Lastly, learn to “anticipate” when you delegate. Put yourself in the Resource’s shoes. Think of how they respond to assignments. Are they a visual or verbal person? do they require significant or minimal explanation?
You want to anticipate questions BEFORE they are asked. This Explanation step is an opportunity to do that. And, you’ll get Feedback on how well you explain in 2 ways:
- If you’re asked questions once the assignment is received by the Resource; OR,
- If the Final Product DIFFERS from exactly what you wanted.
These 2 response are constructive criticism for you, not the Resource. Look at Feedback in this manner as a way for you to up your game and Explain far better.
A few TIPS:
- This is the most critical part delegating. In your email or document that you use to Assign the Delegated Task, you must define the Final Product you seek. That can be anything but you must outline the Specifics of what you want completed.
- Always define in a clear and concise way.
- Use a simple Format to outline. Possibly bullet points, numbers, etc. We live in a less detailed society, so AVOID writing out the Task in a long paragraph, unless that really is your style and you’ve been effective and efficient with that style. If not, I ask you to try a slightly different approach and see if you get better results.