Read time: 5 minutes

My favorite bosses had one thing in common.

They were skilled delegators.

They figured out the secret to success wasn't doing more, it was delivering more. 

Today's email will help you become a better delegator today so you can also stop doing more and start delivering more.

But first... 

***I want you to download this Gdoc. This doc contains delegation prompts and a checklist to help you delegate like a pro. Make sure to read the entire email before using the doc.***

 If you want to become an effective delegator, you need to understand what it means to delegate.

You have four types of employees

The right way to delegate is by customizing your delegation to the "type" of employee you have. Managers make this mistake frequently. They don't understand their employee's skill + will profile for a specific task.

• Skill is your employee's task competence. 
  
  • HOW of doing a task
  • Ability and knowledge to complete the task.
• Will is your employee's task motivation.
  • WHY of doing a task
  • Motivation to complete the task

If you plot your employees based on their skills and will profile, you'll find four types of employees:

How do you delegate to an expert? 

Your goal is to clarify the end result (outcome) you're looking for and give your employee full autonomy and creative control. Avoid trying to push your solution. Instead, get curious and ask your employee how they'll go about achieving the end result.

When delegating to an expert, remember the following:

☑️ Give very clear instructions.

☑️ Communicate the outcome.

☑️ Provide feedback [+ and -]

☑️ Over-index on listening and under-index on telling.

☑️ Give them full authority. 

The best thing you can do for an "expert" is to ask them how you can support them throughout the project. Provide them with the resources they need and let them run their show.

How do you delegate to someone who's losing motivation? 

Your goal is to get to the "why of their reluctance.". You need to figure out what's blocking your employee from taking action. Since your employee is skilled in this task, it's probably not a training challenge. It's probably a motivation challenge. If you can understand the why of their reluctance, you'll be able to move the person from point A to Point B. Here's how you can understand what's going now with your employee. 

When delegating to a capable but reluctant employee, remember the following:

☑️ Emphasize W.I.I.F.T [What's in it for them]

☑️ Get to the why of their reluctance.

☑️ Remain curious by asking questions. 

☑️ Provide feedback [+ and -]

☑️ Schedule regular progress check-ins.

Since this employee is high on skill but low on will, try some of these questions to help them unblock

👉🏼 "Help me understand the issue."

👉🏼 "Tell me more about what's top of your mind here."

👉🏼 "On a scale of 1-10, how open are you to trying this out?"

The worse thing you can do to an employee who is high on skill and low on will is to "tell" them what to do. That won't get you far. What you need to do is balance the ask with the tell. Ask them lots of questions to understand what blocking them. If you keep hitting a roadblock, then you can move into "tell-mode". 

• "I need you to do this"
• "I'm requesting you do this"
• "I'm expecting you to do this"
• "I'm insisting you do this"

How do you delegate to an enthusiastic beginner?

Your delegation messaging strategy is to be prescriptive. Your goal is to be clear and explicit. Think of yourself as a "teacher" and the direct report as a "student" who's excited and willing to learn. The more specific instructions you provide the better.

When delegating to a capable but an enthusiastic beginner, remember the following: 

☑️ Give very clear instructions. Be prescriptive

☑️ Provide training and support. 

☑️ Provide feedback [+ and -]

☑️ Give them low authority (in the start)

☑️ Look for quick wins to build their confidence. 

[DELEGATION PROMPTS for an enthusiastic beginner]

👉🏼 "Here's the outcome I'm looking for. [Describe the end result in detail].

👉🏼 "Here are the steps I need you to follow."

👉🏼 "Here are the specific training/certifications I'd like you to complete"

👉🏼 "Here are the experts on this project. Please connect with them."

👉🏼 "Let's connect weekly to check in on your progress. During this time, I'll be specifically looking for X."

👉🏼 "If you run into any issues, please find me ASAP or talk to X"

👉🏼 "What questions do you have for me?"

Expect to spend more time supporting an enthusiastic beginner. Remember, They have low skill due to lack of experience, however, they also have a high will. Give them all the tools to succeed and share feedback at every opportunity you get. 

How do you delegate to a frustrated employee?

Before you can delegate to a frustrated employee. You need to understand why they're frustrated. Be prepared to spend time with them to understand what's happening. 

⚠️

One of the biggest mistakes managers make is not clearly communicating with the employee that there's a problem. If you don't tell your employee they're not performing to your standard, they're not going to improve. 

⚠️

To help a frustrated employee, you'll need to double down on two areas:

1. Provide them with training and make sure it's sticking. 
   • When you train them. Give them ample opportunity to demonstrate to you that they understand. Don't assume knowledge transfer. 
2. Give them regular feedback (positive and constructive)
   • Don't shy away from giving feedback to your employee. If you see something good, let them know instantly. If you see them not improving, let them know as well. 

If your effort to help the employee isn't working. If you're not seeing any improvement in their skill or will. You might have to confront the reality that they might not be a good fit for the role. That's OK. Sooner or later, you'll have to work through this challenge. 

[CHECKLIST] How can you become a better delegator

Should I ever D.I.Y?

Yes. There are times when delegating isn't the right answer. Here are three: 

1. The situation is urgent and you have a high level of expertise.
2. There’s unresolved conflict on your team. 
3. The team needs your decision/input to make a decision.

All of these are examples of when you need to step in and handle the situation instead of delegating it to someone else. 

When it comes to delegation, my best advice is to remain supportive and present throughout the process. This doesn't mean zooming in and out. This means giving your employees the tools and the training to find their own way.

Keep leading.