How can you help a leader develop delegation skills?

Using tools like Delegation Matrix is great, however it's very important to understand leader's challenges in delegation first and then address it accordingly. Often leaders want to delegate, however their past experience or limiting beliefs prevent them from delegating effectively. 5 reasons why you are bad at delegating: 1. You fear losing control over the outcome 2. You lack confidence in the capabilities or reliability of others 3. You have exceptionally high standards and prefer to handle tasks yourself 4. You believe that you become less valuable or dispensable if delegating too much 5. You believe that explaining tasks to others takes up more time and effort than doing it yourself

I like to start with a question that orients the leader towards change i.e. “I wonder what positive impact (professionally and personally) delegation could make in your life?” Once they start to bring in wider values such as Family, Peace, Contentment or Freedom then it makes the transition to the new ways of being much easier. Especially when things get challenging, as they feel more connected to their “Why”.

I believe that it is important to use Leadership tools to assess capabilities before delegating tasks and responsibilities. Gallup shows focusing on strengths boosts engagement from 9% to 73%. Comfort in roles empowers individuals for excellence. Personalized instruction fosters independence. Empowerment entails acknowledging limits, valuing input, and providing space for exploration. In other words, mistakes must be seen as learning opportunities. Effective leaders guide by: 1. Defining specific projects 2. Offering concise and clear instructions 3. Specifying the scope and boundaries of roles and responsibilities.

In my experience, there is usually a root cause as to why someone might struggle with delegation. I often find that it's related to one of three primary limiting belief systems: 1. They want to control every facet of the experience and struggle with perfectionism. 2. They have difficulty trusting others due to an unresolved traumatic event from the past. 3. The process of surrendering and letting go of things brings anxiety and coincides with the perfectionism challenges I mention in the first example. All of these challenges reside along a spectrum and are best handled individually.

Delegation is a critical skill for leaders to develop, as it allows them to focus on high-level tasks and strategic planning while empowering their team to take on more responsibility and grow their skills. As a media trainer and leadership coach, I help leaders develop their delegation skills by showing them the benefits of delegation, role-playing scenarios, and categorizing tasks. I encourage leaders to build trust with their team members, start with small steps, and lead by example. Effective delegation requires great communication skills, a shift in mindset and a willingness to let go of control. This way leaders can empower their team to achieve their full potential. This is not a single measure, it means permanent work.

Here are 5 basic rules for delegating activities. 1. Be Clear - Make sure your employees understand exactly what is expected of them. Have them explain their assignments in their own words. 2. Put It In Writing - Assignments should be documented and distributed. People take their responsibilities more seriously when they are put in writing. 3. Assign a Due Date - If something is not important enough to be given a due date, it's not important enough to waste time on. 4. Set Up Checkpoints - Checkpoints give your employee the freedom to work independently, with just enough supervision to keep them on track. 5. Never Take Back Something You Have Delegated - Offer your advice and support, but never take back the responsibility you handed out.

It’s important to note that this is a “living” process. Open communication, check-ins and constructive feedback are essential to ensuring the desired outcome is realized and the team is continually aligned. Delegation only works if there is continued communication and interaction. If a leader thinks they can “set it and forget it,” they will be disappointed.

Align the delegated assignments with strengths and aspirations. Beyond assigning tasks based on skills, recognize employees’ passions. Delegating tasks that resonate with their ambitions can lead to motivated, high-quality results. Two-way feedback is essential. After delegating, encourage feedback not only about the task but about the delegation process. Mutual insights can refine future interactions and increase efficiency. Value the journey and celebrate the effort, not just the outcome. Acknowledging the learning and hard work ensures motivation remains high, regardless of the result. Delegation is about empowerment, skill development, and fostering a positive work environment. Mastering it means unlocking your team’s potential.

I have experienced that leaders often stuggle to delegate because of the fear that the 'job' will need to be redone. So helping the leader establish what is 'in it' for them when they delegate, before looking at how to do it.

This is where I differ. I always start with the goals and then look to analyze the leaders' skills without an idea of where they desire to go and, more importantly, WHY change is hard to make stick. The "Why" behind their objectives can clarify roadblocks in their journey and help organize a plan reflecting their current needs.

The issue of delegation is NOT the condition of the people in receipt of it; it is the inner condition of the delegator! If the delegator is holding on, grasping power and authority, delegation will never really happen. Delegation requires an openness and willingness to surrender the power of position. And then trust! It’s all the inner-game; never the outer.

Apart from Eisenhower Matrix, you can introduce the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) to help leaders identify tasks that yield the most significant results. Consider applying the 80/20 rule – identify the top 20% of tasks that deliver 80% of the results. Delegate the remaining 80% of less critical tasks to free up more time for strategic activities. In addition to skills and abilities, focus on your team's strengths. Delegate tasks that leverage their strengths, as this will lead to more effective outcomes. View delegation as a learning opportunity. Assign tasks that challenge team members to develop new skills and grow in their roles, creating a win-win scenario. Use delegation for leadership development/ building leadership skills.

I was recently working with a SaaS company and the CEO was doing a lot of tasks and not acting like the CEO. I helped him create a long list of all tasks and we dumped about 20% of them and then taught him how to delegate them with SOP's to the team. He now is working a lot less, has more mental space and time to dedicate to being the visionary leader, and no longer is sitting in an employee vs. CEO chair.

I use the Eisenhower Matrix with my clients and it really helps them to focus on the right tasks. Most people, especially leaders, usually think they should be working on the Urgent things, but it’s far better to work on the Important things, before they become urgent, so that proper time and consideration can be given to the task, promoting more well-informed decision making.

Even when the best people are identified, leaders should extend a clear line of support and always ensure open communication when delegating tasks. Doing so will assure the staff that you 'have their back', that you are not just 'dumping' tasks on them. This will boost team confidence and fosters trust in the leader.

Being clear about expectations is a critical part of delegation, and so is listening carefully to the person being delegated to. They may have questions or concerns, or see risks that had not been identified. It is a mutual conversation to ensure that both parties are clear about and comfortable with the way forward.

Another aspect of communicating clearly and effectively is communicating OFTEN. Repetition is important. Saying it in different ways is important. Bringing the message skillfully into everyday operations will reinforce how the new behaviours are meant to be implemented.

We coach our leaders first and foremost on their communication and social style. Understanding their style leads to understanding what tasks and WHY those tasks give them energy and which tasks don't. Understanding their style, and their team's style allows for clarity on HOW to communicate the task and desired outcome. Oftentimes, the leader's message gets lost in too many details or too few details. This is an art, but one that will benefit everyone and provide clarity.

Something Most Leaders Forget.... Delegation of tasks will maintain a level of dependency between you and your team. You will remain the "task-master", juggling all the things competing for priority and your team will remain a group of glorified administrators. The Alternative? Delegate "responsibility". This means delegating a result or outcome and empowering the team members to take charge of designing and executing the tasks to achieve it. NOW FOR THE BIT EVERYONE FORGETS... "Responsibility" can't just be given. It also has to be 'taken'. Unless your team TAKE responsibility for the result from you, it will ultimately still lie with you.

Using models like the STAR model, we guide leaders in effective communication during delegation. Clear expectations, guidance, and empowerment are essential components of successful delegation.

I’d like to point out that this recommendation says MONITOR and not Micromanage. Part of delegating is giving up some amount of control and empowering those you delegate to. This may mean relinquishing the tight grip on how the work is completed, as long as the accountability and accurate outcome are delivered. Teach, guide, coach. Sometimes delegating is frustrating at first because it takes longer for someone to complete a task than it would for you to do it yourself, but that’s the worst thing you can do for your growth as a leader (and need to offload workload) and for the professional development of the team. Trust in your ability to mentor and their ability to learn!

Monitoring and evaluating of results are sometimes best done through setting up of systems, processes, checks and balances. For example, as business grows, a procurement system and structure would be set up to take care of budget allocation, approval, supplier sourcing and awarding based on certain management principles. Reporting cycles will have to be established; process leaders will be appointed to hold each other accountable.

My recommendation would be: 1)Embrace Vulnerability and Trust Building: Why: A fundamental barrier to delegation is the fear of loss of control or the possibility of mistakes. By embracing vulnerability, leaders acknowledge that they don't have to do everything and that mistakes are opportunities for growth. 2) Invest in Developing Others: Why: The essence of delegation is to empower others to perform tasks and make decisions. Leaders need to ensure that their team members have the skills, resources, and confidence to execute the tasks they're given. 3) Cultivate Self-awareness and Reflection: Why: Leaders need to recognize their own biases, fears, and tendencies that prevent them from delegating effectively.

We emphasize the importance of monitoring without micromanaging. Through systems, processes, and checks, we guide leaders in evaluating results, celebrating achievements, and overcoming challenges without compromising empowerment.

3 effective questions to ask leaders looking to increase their delegation: 1) at what point do you struggle with delegation (e.g., overwhelmed with number of tasks, during convo with staff) 2) what is your internal narrative about delegation? (E.g., I feel bad asking my staff to pick things up, I don’t trust that they’re going to do it my way, it’s faster to do it myself) 3) how does your lived experience and background play into these challenges? Are they serving you? Often it isn’t the mechanics of delegation that’s the challenge, it’s the narrative and beliefs in our head!

Delegation is a multi-step process: 1) Write down the detailed process for the task on how you would like it or project to be handled. Remember to include the overall objective, KPIs, accountability, etc. 2) Find the right person or team for the project. Remember the now ‘old’ adage, hire for culture fit? This applies here as well! 3) Train the team on the task/project through the process, objective and all. 4) Handhold the team through the initial steps for task repetition. Step 5: ‘Assess the process’ for gaps, refinement, team’s understanding and feedback for optimising the process for efficiency. Refine, refine, refine. Step 6: Step back to delegate. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for continuous improvement, provide support they need to succeed.

Delegation could be perceived either as a form of empowerment or excess workload. It is therefore important for both leaders and staff to embrace delegation as opportunities to grow, learn and be successful. To strengthen the organisation's tolerance for risks and failures, the following can be considered: 1) Train staff ahead of time. Ring-fence low risk or non-urgent tasks and projects, using them to develop staff competencies so that they can take over the tasks whenever necessary. 2) Acknowledge the extra time and effort staff needs to put in by offering them off-in-lieu, recognition and rewards. 3) Set both leaders and staff up for success with enabling systems, structures and processes.

Delegation is a living process. We stress the need for open communication, check-ins, and constructive feedback to ensure ongoing alignment and success. Delegation thrives when coupled with continuous communication and interaction.

Even before developing delegation skills, the first thing is to come out of the perfection trap. A lot of leaders fail to delegate because they don't feel satisfied with the work done by others. You got to be okay with receiving 70-80% good work and open to training your resources to do better with a regular feedback and support. Over time, your resources may outshine you.