Delegating tasks and assigning responsibility

One of the important values in leadership is to develop the capabilities of your staff, and delegating tasks. Delegation sounds simple enough: you have 10 things to do, and 3 of them can be done by your staff. Assign these 3 tasks to your staff.

But really, delegation is more than that; it is an opportunity to

• coach and develop others (which is deeply satisfying)
• help others reach their goals
  
• let others be more involved in their job
• train your replacement, for your career advancement
• business continuity (when you are not available)

If delegation is done too formally, it feels more like a burden to the person taking up the role. Speak to the employee informally, and discuss about possibilities where he/she can contribute. Remember, always work from strength. If the delegated task is the assignee's weakness, then it is an uphill battle which may result in frustration and giving up.

In addition, the correct expectations need to be set up front: a performance agreement will be useful.

It is most likely that the delegated task is new or unfamiliar to the employee. If that so, isn't it unreasonable to expect the employee to automatically excel at the task? Therefore, it is important to delegate tasks in a bite-sized chunk, and provide guidance along the way. SMART goals are very helpful in this scenario.


I have seen discussions where tasks are delegated, and there is even a formal role. What really did not work out was the formal role (announced to the team/department), and lack of follow up.

Developing your staff is a continuous effort, not only during the performance review discussion ;)