three moves for successful delegation

Let’s say you have a history of handing things off to your people. When you check in, you’re vexed. Whatever they’ve done, it’s not as good as you’d do it. You feel like you might have wasted your time and theirs with the delegation. The intent to save time used more of it instead.

How can you (a) get your people to meet your expectations of quality (b) with as little input from you as possible?

Three moves worth making:

1. Promise (and deliver) a check in with a living rubric — Tell them you will be checking in on the delegated task (then actually do check in). Create an inventory/checklist/rubric for gauging the quality of the work. If them saying “I’m on track” isn’t reliable, add to the rubric. A regular cadence of spot-checking for quality can build confidence for both of you - you do this not as a “gotcha” exercise - you do it because you genuinely want them to own this thing and the satisfaction and power that go with that ownership.

2. Turn standard 1-on-1 meetings into live observations or spot-checks of things needing to be evaluated. Leaders who switch from weekly hour-long meetings to monthly half-day shadowing get to do this all the time! They can’t possibly live up to every micro-level, ineffable standard you have and those standards might not be readily captured in a rubric. Instead of always trying to grade work post hoc, be in it together.

3. Use a “safe handoff” protocol: They must watch you do the thing in real time. Then you watch them. Rinse repeat until it’s no longer needed. 

-ben