Effective Delegation

Have you ever delegated a task and then left the conversation wondering whether it would get done – or get done properly?

Delegation can be tricky, but if you’re frequently left with lingering doubts, take it as a sign that you could be doing it better.

You should never walk away worried about whether the person understood your direction, or what success looks like.

If this is what you’re feeling after delegating tasks, then it’s possible your communications around delegating need to be more substantive – and more supportive.

Use questions to confirm understanding and spark creativity

Instead of assuming the person knows what you expect of them, seek confirmation in the moment. Think in advance what questions you can ask that will give them a chance to show they have heard and understood.

Some people think this means simply dictating your expectations and then asking the person if they understood. One problem with this approach is it doesn’t provide incentive or opportunity for that person to really think about the task – to process and internalize your instructions.

Next time, try this:

Instead of saying something like, “I need “x” to have the following elements …,”

Try something along the lines of, “What elements do you think are needed for x to be a success?”

It’s possible you might have to give some prompts or additional guidance, but that’s okay. What you’re doing is giving your reports a chance to think for themselves, and arrive at solutions on their own. And it’s entirely possible they might come up with an approach you hadn’t thought of.

In other words, every task you assign can then be turned into a developmental opportunity – and you’re supporting the growth of your staff by giving them a chance to work things out by themselves. Soon enough, you’ll start walking away from delegation conversations thinking, “Yeah, they’ve got this.”

And that will make your job a lot less stressful.

If your training, coaching or strategy needs are not being met, feel free to connect with us. We can help. Reach out today to nathan@spectrumsolutions.com

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