Righttrack Whispers: How and When to Delegate

by Colin Forster

Delegating tasks to team members is an essential part of a manager’s job. Not only does it spread the workload but it can also be a powerful motivational and developmental tool. However, delegation is not without its pitfalls. Poor communication is often the culprit; this old saying often sums it up:

“I know you think you understand what I said, however
I’m not sure that what you heard is what I meant!”

A common pitfall is not explaining how the task relates to the bigger picture. Two stories from the space industry demonstrate how important this is. In 1963, President Kennedy was visiting the NASA Space Centre that would later bear his name. He broke off from the scheduled tour and went over to an older man who was sweeping the floor and asked him what he was doing at the space centre, his response was,

“I’m helping to put a man on the moon sir”.

This person clearly understood where his task fitted into the bigger picture; this is not the case in the second story.

In 1989, a European star mapping satellite Hipparcos failed to enter its correct orbit because its rocket motor failed to ignite. Enquiries showed that the detonator used to fire the motor hadn’t been modified to work in a vacuum because the manufacturer hadn’t been told it was to be used in space.

Other common mistakes made by managers include:

Delegating work they don’t like
Not delegating work that should be done by someone else because they do like it
Not being clear on their expectations, timescales, quality etc
Not being clear on authority levels
Delegating then micro managing
Delegating and abdicating, no monitoring or support
Delegating tasks to people who lack the skills, knowledge or experience to carry them
out successfully

To avoid falling into any of the above traps consider using the following checklist in considering how to delegate:

Information

Have I explained what is expected; objectives, measures, quality standards, timescales etc?
Do they know what “good” looks like?
Do they know why it needs to be done – where it fits in the big picture?
Have I given the necessary directions and guidance – do they know ‘how to’?
Am I giving them sufficient feedback when needed?

Resources

Do they have the tools to do the job – equipment, time, money, people?
Do they understand the rules and procedures?

Incentives & Motivation

What incentives are there for them to do this – intrinsic and extrinsic?
Are they aware of them?
Will this help in their career development – do they understand how?
Do they understand the consequences if this isn’t done effectively?

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Do they have the requisite knowledge (technical / managerial / company) for the task?
Do they have the skills and experience required?

Capacity

Do they have the physical, emotional and intellectual capacity for the task?