In yesterday’s post, How To Win At Delegation, I talked about how both you and the person you’re delegating to need to be mature enough for the process to work. If either of you has the maturity of Charlie Sheen, you’re probably in trouble … But hey, at least you’re “WINNING!”

Today, I continue the discussion with a couple of concepts every leader should understand before delegating.

• What’s your end game? – A common mistake many leaders make is delegating tasks. The problem with this concept is you don’t really get any buy-in from the person. What you get is someone who will basically only do what you’ve asked of them. In an upcoming EntreLeadership Podcast interview with Stephen M.R. Covey, he explains the importance of delegating RESULTS, not tasks. This way, the team member takes ownership and is working with the end in mind instead of just the next thing on the list to accomplish.

• Become a waiter – The most important piece of delegation is being there to serve the person to whom you delegated. It’s a safe bet that you will always hear me say, “It is every leader’s job to make their team successful, especially when delegating.” You have to make sure they have every question answered; have all the tools necessary to complete the task; and consistently check with them, making sure they completely understand what the task is and if they have any more questions. Immature leaders hear this and say, “Shoot, I might as well just do it myself.” Yes, if you plan on spending the rest of your days growing your business at the speed of smell.

• More please (said in a British accent) – As they begin to show you how well they are doing with the process, start lengthening the rope of responsibility and authority. Allow your team to make the necessary decisions to complete the project. If you give someone the responsibility (e.g., put their neck on the line) but don’t give them the authority to make the decisions needed to be successful, then you’ll have a completely demoralized team member who doesn’t want to take risks for you ever again.

Along the way, be sure to ask their thoughts and ideas for the task. Then, you can gauge their progress and how much input is needed. Who knows? They might say something you didn’t think of.

By the way, these tips can ALL be done with your kids if you’re a parent!

Question: What have you done to make the delegation process successful?

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