Delegation is an essential skill for managers. It allows them to scale their organization by getting out of the critical path for decision making. It helps grow the skillset of team members and provide greater career growth. So, what are the mechanics of delegation and what do you do if your manager is a poor delegator? Let’s look…
One of the distinctions between Managers and non-Managers is the decision making authority granted to Managers. Some new managers may see decision making as a defining element of their role. This can make it difficult for them to delegate decision making to others. Others may be so wrapped up in day-to-day activities that they don’t realize their omission. If they are not developing leaders from within the team, it will result in lost opportunities for both the manager and their team members. So, what does delegation look like?
What
Delegation is the process of giving one of your responsibilities to another person. It is important that the desired result, what is to be delivered, is clearly defined. This allows the other person to run with the task and evaluate, for themselves, if they have reached the goal.
If the what isn’t clearly defined, it creates a guessing game between you and your manager. You’ll have a nervous manager constantly checking in to see if you are on track with what they see in their head but haven’t communicated to you. If you find yourself in this situation, write down your best guess of what you are being asked to deliver and Ask Your Manager if you’ve gotten it right.
How
Your manager may be delegating a task that they have spent significant time refining such as updating a spreadsheet, a report or a certain production task. I know I was very particular about formatting for certain reports I was sending up the management chain. I made sure to say “I want it to look just like this“, or, “be creative, just make it look at least as good as this other one“. It is important to understand the range of latitude you are being given in the assignment, and to make sure you are getting some elbow room to make your own decisions.
If there was no discussion of how the task is to be performed, Ask Your Manager about it.
Is there anything you have an opinion on in terms of how I approach this task or any decisions I should run by you?
The skilled delegate
If the answer comes back “everything”, then you’ll need to push back. “I want to make sure I’m really taking some work off your plate, why don’t you let me worry about XYZ…”
When
One surefire way to get micromanaged is to fail to agree on how you will report back on a delegated task. How often does your manager want to be updated? What details are they interested in? How do they want to be updated (in-person, e-mail, phone, etc.). Make sure there are clear expectations set for how you report back. If your manager breaks the contract and keeps checking in, remind them what you agreed to and ask if it should be changed.
I remember being caught doing this once – I was pestering someone every Monday for an update even though we had agreed I’d be updated in our standing 1-1 later in the week. They asked why I wasn’t waiting for the 1-1 and it struck me. I had a meeting on Tuesday mornings where I needed to give an update on this task, and I didn’t want to give a week-old status. The point of this story is that it may not be a nefarious reason behind your manager’s questions. It’s important to understand the timing of information flow in your organization and make sure you are feeding in at the right points.
Of course, another when is the completion deadline. As always, let your manager know ASAP if you are running behind and the deadline is at risk.