A few rules of delegation from Andy S. Grove’s High Output Management:
- Ensure the delegator and delegatee share the same ideas, approaches and values. For simple tasks, use a step-by-step guide.
- Let it go. Many of us are guilty of this. Letting go of the activities you are good at and you enjoy doing is hard. Giving up the activities that made you who you are and earned your new role is even more challenging. It is like giving up part of your identity. You need to remember to let it go and remind yourself why you decided to delegate in the first place.
- Delegate the things that you are familiar with. It’s easier to monitor and measure whether the delegation is successful with things in which you are well versed.
- Delegation is not to abandon responsibilities. Ultimately, you are still accountable for the things you delegate to others.
Sample the results of delegation using production process monitoring principles:
- Check at the lowest-added-value point. For example, if you delegate a presentation to a direct report, review the drafts instead of the finished slides.
- Sample subordinate’s work regularly and adjust the frequency based on the results.
- Only go into the details randomly to avoid meddling or not letting it go.
- When delegating decisions to direct reports, check the decision-making process, their thinking, and their approaches to gauge if the delegation is successful. Don’t verify the decisions themselves. Remember to let it go and not to meddle in subordinate’s work.