Delegation skills

Great things are not done
by impulse, but by a
series of small things
brought together.
“Vincent Van Gogh”

• What is delegation?
• Why people should delegate?
• Why people do not delegate?
• Tasks that may be delegated
• Tasks should not be delegated
• When should you delegate?
• Who should you delegate to?
• Delegation process
• Levels of delegation
• Barriers to delegation

What is Delegation?
‘ The distribution of
responsibility and authority to
other people while holding
accountable for their
performance.’
“Asking someone else to
perform a task that is one of
your responsibilities or work
that you are being paid to do”

Cont. …
“It is entrusting responsibility
and authority to others who
then become responsible to
us for their results but we
remain accountable to our
boss for what our
subordinates do”

Elements of Delegation
Authority
ResponsibilityAccountability

1. Authority
Definition
It is the power and right of a
person to;
1. Use and allocate the
resources efficiently
2. Take decisions
3. To give orders
So as to achieve the
organizational objectives.

Cont. …
› Authority must be well-
defined;
– People should know the scope
(limits) of their authority.
› Authority should be
accompanied with an equal
amount of responsibility.
› Authority always flows from
top to bottom.
– A superior uses authority to
get work done from his
subordinate by clearly
explaining what is expected
of him and how he should go
about it.

Cont. …
Important Note
› Delegating the authority to
someone else doesn’t imply
escaping from
accountability.
› Accountability will still rest
with the person having the
utmost authority.

2. Responsibility
Definition
› It is the duty of the person
to complete the task
assigned to him.
› The person held
responsible for a job is
answerable for it.

Cont. …
› Responsibility without
adequate authority leads to
discontent and
dissatisfaction among the
person.
› Responsibility flows from
bottom to top.

3. Accountability
Definition
› It means giving
explanations for any
variance in the actual
performance from the
expectations set.
› Accountability, in short,
means being answerable
for the end result.
› Accountability cannot be
delegated.
› The top level management
is most accountable.

Cont. …
For example
› If ’A’ is given a task with sufficient authority
› And ’A’ delegates this task to “B” and asks him to ensure
that task is done well
› The responsibility rests with ’B’
› The accountability still rests with ’A’
› Accountability can’t be escaped. It arises from responsibility.

Flowchart for
Delegation Decision

Does this NEED to be done?
Does it need to be done by ME?
Does it need to be done NOW?
Resist & Stop (Dump)
YES
YES
YES
DO IT!
Consider Delegating
Plan and ...
NO
No
No

• Good delegation;
1. Saves you time
2. Motivates people
3. Develops your team
4. Grooms a successor
The main purpose of delegating is "Time Management", so that
you can concentrate on bigger and main assignments that
need your attention.
Importance of Delegation
• Poor delegation;
1. Causes you frustration
2. De-motivates people
3. Confuses delegates
4. Fails you to achieve the task
or purpose itself

Reasons for Delegation - Manager
1. Prepares you for the next
step.
– Let’s you develop and train
your team.
– Allows growth of deputy.

2. To get things done.
– Increases productivity.
– Ensures that tasks are done
timely and meeting
deadlines.
3. To use skills and resources
already within the group.
– To become more powerful as
a group.
– Use subordinate free time.

4. To prevent the group from
getting too dependent on
one or two leaders.
– Prevents burning out few
leaders.

5. To effectively manage your
time.
– Gives you more time for
adding value.
– Frees yourself to;
1. Run your tasks and see
the big picture.
2. Check off things done
instead of rushing around
to do them.
3. Evaluate others work
instead of doing it
yourself.
6. Frees you to focus on
management tasks
– Makes your job manageable.
– Let’s you focus on doing
things your staff can’t.

Reasons for Delegation - Employees
7. Lets things run the same
way when manager is on
leave as when manager is
present
– Allows for days off and
flexibility in scheduling

1. To develop new leaders
and build new skills.
– Trains individuals for the
next level
– Associates gain knowledge
and skills.
– Increases consistency as
people know why we do
things.

2. To motivate your staff and
assess their potential.
– Increases associate
responsibility, ownership and
enjoyment.
– Reduces turnover because
motivated and engaged
employees don’t terminate.
– Allows everyone to feel a
part of the effort and the
success.

3. To maximize the overall
effectiveness of you and
your team.
– To use everyone to their
maximum potential.
– Group members feel more
committed if they have a
role and feel needed.
– To equip staff to solve their
own problem.

4. To respond faster to
changes in your business
when you can rely on
nimble employees to take
charge.

5. Builds team environment
– Everybody gets involved.
– No more you telling them,
but they are doing and
motivating each other.

Why do People NOT Delegate?
› People do not generally
delegate due to a wrong
mentality, some of the
reasons that people usually
fail to delegate are:
1. Do not understand the
need to delegate
2. Lack of confidence
3. Do not know how to
delegate
4. Failed to delegate in
past
5. Like particular jobs

Common Excuses to Not Delegate
› I’m the manager.
› I can do it better myself.
› I can do it faster than my sub-
ordinate.
› I don’t know if I can trust my
sub-ordinate to do it.
› I don’t have time to show my
sub-ordinate how to do it.
› My sub-ordinate isn’t qualified to
do it.
› My sub-ordinate doesn’t want
more responsibility.
› My sub-ordinate already has
enough to do.
› My sub-ordinate messed up last
time I assigned the task.

Consequences of Not Delegating
1. Information and decision-
making not shared by the
group.
2. Leaders become tired out.
3. When leaders leave groups,
no one has experience to
carry on.
4. Group morale becomes low
and people become
frustrated and feel
powerless.
5. The skills and knowledge of
the group/organization are
concentrated in a few people.
6. New members don’t find any
ways to contribute to the
work of the group.

It is important to decide
‘what to delegate’

Tips, Before Delegating
Things to keep in mind before deciding whether a task should
be delegated or not:
1. Do not delegate what you are not able to do yourself.
2. Delegate, don't abdicate.
3. Delegate things that aren't part of your core competency.
4. Don't delegate what you can eliminate.
– If you shouldn't be doing an activity, then perhaps you shouldn't be giving the activity
away to others. Eliminate it.
5. Create a plan to delegate.
– Don't give out assignments haphazardly.

What to Delegate?
› You should delegate any task
that your sub-ordinates:
1. Can do better than you.
2. Can do at less expense
than you.
3. Can do with better timing.
4. Can do as part of their
normal functions.
5. Can do as a contribution
to their training and
development.
6. Can do in order to to
assess their suitability for
their promotion.

What Should We Not Delegated?
› It is critical to remember
that all tasks are not equal,
hence, not all tasks could
be delegated.
› As a manager, it is
important for you to
discriminate and decide
which tasks cannot be
delegated.

Generally Speaking, You Should Not
Delegate:
1. Leadership for your people
2. Tasks that your boss wants
you to do personally.
3. Promotion, praise and
discipline for your
subordinates.
4. Selection, training &
performance appraisal for
subordinates.
5. A concentrated focus on
our value-added priorities
6. Overall policy and planning
for our area of
responsibility
7. Tasks involving
confidential information
8. Managerial responsibilities
like team-building or
employee development.
9. Activities where objectives
aren’t well-defined
10.Company-wide decision-
making

When Should I Delegate?
› It is a critical decision to delegate the right kind of task, to
the right person and at the right time.
› Here are a few reflection questions that you should ask
yourself about each aspect of the “task” to make the
decision to delegate or not.

Am I the only one supposed to do
this task?
Is it okay to let someone else do
it?
Will this person need leadership
training to be able to do it?
Is this task taking up too much of
valuable time that I actually need
to use to communicate, coach
and develop my team or help
them with leadership training?
Am I doing this task because it
feels comfortable and I’m used to
doing it?
Am I doing this task because I can
do it so well, and I do not want to
give up this comfortable feeling?
Is there is another person who
can handle this task?
Am I hanging on to this task
although I do not want to do it
because I think no one else will
want to?

Who Should You
Delegate It To?

Who Should You Delegate It To?
› An important aspect of the
delegation process is
selecting the right person
to delegate the task to.
› There are various factors
that you may need to
consider for this such as:

Simplifying or altering the task to
suit the competence of available
staff.

You should choose a person
who possess the required
capabilities;
1. Expertise
2. Knowledge
3. Confidence
4. Willingness and
responsibility
Individual's preferred work
style
Does delegating this task
require reshuffling of other
responsibilities and workloads?

You can select the expertise level of the
person depending upon the complexity and
the particular demands of the individual
tasks.

Delegation Process
Decide What
to Delegate
Choose the
Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
Monitor
Progress
Let Go Give Credit

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
Monitor Progress Let Go Give Credit
1. Decide What to Delegate
– Decide which tasks need to be delegated.
– Pick a task that is perhaps less challenging to you but will stretch and develop the
employee(s) in question.

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
2. Choose the Right Candidate
– Choose the right person to delegate the task.
– The right person may not be the most experienced or smartest.
– Choose people you want to train and let them grow.
– Motivate your employees by giving them challenging tasks.
– Use delegation to find the right fit between employees' skills and the work to be
done.

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
3. Communicate Objective
– Clearly communicate;
› What you are delegating and the results you are looking for and how it will be measured.
› Allowable resources
› Benefits to people for taking on this responsibility.
– Tell What, what is to be done?
– Tell Why, the background and reasons
– Tell When, provide project constraints and deadline
– Don’t tell how.
– Strive for mutual understanding and agreement.

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
4. Relinquish Authority
– Encourage independence, allow the delegate to make decisions.
– Decide on how much authority you will give them, clarify which decisions they:
a) Can make totally on their own
b) Can make but keep you informed
c) Must run by you first for approval
d) Will be making jointly with you
e) Must have you make for them
– The best practice is to hand off as much as you personally can tolerate and the
situation will allow.

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
5. Monitor Progress
– Ask for progress reports
– Meet with subordinate to make sure things are getting done
– Expect mistakes
– Provide support, as appropriate, by coaching, guiding and encouraging delegated
subordinate.

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
6. Let Go
– Be flexible
– There is more than one way to do something

Delegation Process
Decide What to
Delegate
Choose the Right
Candidate
Communicate
Objective
Relinquish
Authority
7. Give Credit
– Praise and give credit for any work well done.
– Publicly let everybody know who did it.

Levels of Delegation
› You can give varying degrees of freedom to the delegate;
– You may decide to give more freedom to a more experienced and
reliable person.
– You may be more cautious while extending a lot of freedom, if a task
is more critical.
› The Levels range from 1 to 10 and these different delegation
levels progressively offer, encourage and enable more
delegated freedom.
– Level 1 is the lowest level of delegated freedom (basically none).
– Level 10 is the highest level typically (and rarely) found in
organizations.

Choose the most appropriate
style for each situation.
Ask the other person (delegate)
what level of authority he feels
comfortable being given.
Come to an agreement with the
delegate on the level which is
most appropriate, so that the
job is done effectively and with
minimal unnecessary
involvement from you.

Level 1
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
“Wait to be told”
“Do exactly what I say”
“Follow these instructions precisely”
› These are instructions.
› There is no delegated freedom at all.

Level 2
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Look into this and tell me the situation, I'll
decide."
› This is asking for investigation and analysis
but no recommendation.
› The person delegating retains responsibility
for assessing options prior to making the
decision.

Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Look into this and tell me the situation, we'll
decide together."
› This level of delegation encourages and
enables the analysis and decision to be a
shared process, which can be very helpful in
coaching and development.

Level 4
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Tell me the situation and what help you need
from me in assessing and handling it, then
we'll decide."
› This opens the possibility of greater freedom
for analysis and decision-making, subject to
both people agreeing this is appropriate.
› Again, this level is helpful in growing and
defining coaching and development
relationships.

Level 5
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Give me your analysis of the situation
(reasons, options, pros and cons) and
recommendation, I'll let you know whether
you can go ahead."
› Asks for analysis and recommendation, but
you will check the thinking before deciding.

Level 6
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Decide and let me know your decision, and
wait for my go-ahead before proceeding."
› The other person is trusted to assess the
situation and options and is probably
competent enough to decide and implement
too, but for reasons of task importance, or
competence, or perhaps externally changing
factors, the boss prefers to keep control of
timing.

Level 7
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Decide and let me know your decision, then
go ahead unless I say not to."
› Now the other person begins to control the
action.
› The subtle increase in responsibility saves
time.
› This can be used very effectively when
seeking responsibility from above or
elsewhere in an organization, especially one
which is strangled by indecision and
bureaucracy.

Level 8
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Decide and take action - let me know what
you did (and what happened)."
› This level of delegation enables a degree of
follow-up by the manager as to the
effectiveness of the delegated responsibility,
which is necessary when people are being
managed from a greater distance, or more
'hands-off'.

Level 9
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Decide and take action. You need not check
back with me."
› The most freedom that you can give to
another person when you still need to retain
responsibility for the activity.
› A high level of confidence is necessary.
› Feedback and review remain helpful and
important, although the relationship is more
likely one of mentoring, rather than coaching
per se.

Level 10
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
"Decide where action needs to be taken and
manage the situation accordingly. It's your
area of responsibility now."

Deciding Level of Delegation
› Be creative in choosing levels of delegated responsibility, and
always check with the other person that they are
comfortable with your chosen level.
› While choosing a level, always remember that the rate and
extent of responsibility and freedom delegated to people is a
fundamental driver of organizational growth and
effectiveness, the growth and well-being of your people, and
of your own development and advancement.
› Use the highest level of delegation to allow most freedom to
the other person when developing a successor.

Barriers to Delegation
› There are certain barriers to delegation that hamper the
delegation process and make the delegation task tough for
the manager as well as for the subordinate.
1. Habitual
2. I’m the best
3. No time to train
4. Insecurity
5. Less control
6. Keep busy
7. Company Policy
8. Partial delegation
9. Lack of interest of sub-ordinate

Habitual
• Many managers have the habit of not
sharing their job and responsibility.
• They resent delegation as they feel that
only they are responsible for their task and
no one else could perform their job.

I’m the best
• Many managers feel that only
they can perform their jobs with
greatest accuracy and quality.

No time to train:
• Many managers feel that the sub-ordinates lack
training and qualification to do the manager’s
tasks and that the manager instead of spending
time in training a person can carry out the job by
themselves.

Insecurity
• Many managers consider that
delegating their job could cause a
threat to their position and job.

Less control
• Managers feel that delegating the job
to others lessens the control over the
task and it could be a challenge to track
the progress of the task.

Keep busy
• Many managers avoid delegating the
task and love to keep themselves
engrossed and busy in the routine task.

Company Policy
• Although many organizations may support
delegation in theory, the company policies and
procedures makes the entire delegation
process cumbersome and difficult to achieve.

Partial delegation
• Many managers feel that they would lose
control and hence delegate only parts of
a job which in turn reduces efficiency and
hampers time management.

Lack of interest of sub-ordinate
• Managers may also avoid delegating
tasks when they feel that there is a lack
of interest and motivation on the part of
subordinate for accepting new duty.

Delegation Stressors
There are a few aspects of delegation process that may prove
to be stressful for the parties involved. These are:
1. Loss of control:
– If you train your subordinates to apply the same criteria as you would
yourself, then they will be exercising your control on your behalf.
2. Waste of time:
– There is too much time spent on explaining tasks. The amount of
time spent up front is great. However, continued use of delegation
may free you up to complete more complex tasks and/or gain you
some time for yourself.
3. Compromising your own value:
– By delegating the task, the quality and output of the task are not
controlled by you but the responsibility of the task still lies on you.

Contact us on;
ossama.motawae@eurekaeg.com
+201023985680

Delegation skills

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