How to Delegate

Situational Leadership can help you determine what approach to use to delegate effectively. Each of the four leadership styles - telling, selling, participating and delegating - is a combination of task and relationship behaviour.  Effective delegation takes place when you correctly diagnose the employee's readiness level and provide the appropriate balance of task direction and relationship support.  This approach will help you ensure the job gets done, while also motivating the employee by providing him or her with the required support and encouragement. The ultimate goal of delegation is to help the employee get to a point where you can give him or her responsibility for decisions and implementation of work.
To delegate situationally, ask yourself:

• What skills and abilities does the employee need to perform the task to be delegated?
• Is the employee ready (willing/confident and able)?
• What do you need to do to get them to the appropriate readiness level?

Regardless of the employee's readiness level you'll have greater success delegating if you follow these steps:

1. Communicate the task clearly - let the employee know specifically what needs to be done.
2. Set the context - why, how it fits, potential problems.
3. Set standards - be SMART!
4. Grant authority - let the employee know the boundaries within which they can make decisions and take action, and when they should check in with you.
5. Provide support - resources, training, time, money, etc.
6. Get commitment - confirm understanding and acceptance.