Training and delegating are two ends of the same process. When you think of it as one process, it becomes a lot clearer how to delegate tasks effectively.
If you’re wondering how to delegate tasks and responsibilities, you’re in the right place. This is a question I get all the time from my clients, and there is a lot of confusion about delegating. So, I’m going to do my best to be clear about these important topics and give you some guidance on how to delegate effectively.
When to Train Your Employee
The time to train someone is when they are eager to learn and grow.
According to Andy Grove, the legendary CEO of Intel, there can only be two reasons an employee isn’t doing their job. “Either they can’t or they won’t.”
If they won’t do their job, they need motivation.
If they can’t do their job, they need training.
As the manager, it’s your job to figure out what they need. I’ve written about motivation elsewhere. Here I’ll focus on training your employees and how to delegate tasks.
Training is Delegating
Training and delegating are tightly related. Delegating doesn’t mean dumping a task on a person and seeing if they can figure it out. Delegating is a process that beings with training.
To begin, the trainee needs close supervision as they are introduced to a new task or process. Usually someone demonstrates how to do it and then gives the trainee a chance to try it. At first, the trainer stays right there or isn’t far away to help out if they have questions. Even if they aren’t asking questions, it’s not a bad idea to check in periodically.
After they have done the process a few times and begin to get the hang of it, the trainer can step back a bit and let the trainee practice on their own. Even still, it’s a good idea for the trainer to be easy to reach. At this stage, the trainee is likely to run into problems or encounter issues they have not seen before.
This stage can take a while, depending on how complicated the work is and how quickly the trainee picks it up. For simple or moderately complex tasks, it can take a few weeks or months. For highly complex technical tasks, it can take a year or more before the trainee is proficient.
How to Delegate Tasks Fully
Eventually, the trainer steps back more and more. At the same time, the trainee engages more with the process and becomes better at the task. Inevitably, even months into training, there will be a problem the trainee can’t solve. This is the nature of trial-and-error learning and to be expected.
At this moment, the trainer needs to come back into closer supervision to teach the trainee the finer points of how to manage a complex task. When this happens, it’s important for the trainer to use this opportunity as a teaching moment. There should be no judging or reprisals. Simply talk the trainee through the problem, analyze what went wrong, and help them understand the important things to think about. It’s not always tactical. Sometimes they need to use judgment and be strategic. These are important lessons if you are going to delegate the task successfully.
All along the way, it’s helpful for the trainer and trainee to connect in one-on-ones during this process so they can talk about the work. Shop talk is an important part of training and usually interests the trainer and the trainee. Allow time for a natural give-and-take of questions and discussions. Feel free to tell stories of when it worked right (and maybe a disaster story or two). Share any other thoughts about the process. The trainer should take care to listen as much as possible in these discussions demonstrate respect. Also, letting the trainee talk things through helps them solidify learning.
In delegating tasks, the process is complete when the trainee is an expert, with little supervision required. In fact, they should be nearly good enough now to train someone else.
How to Delegate Responsibilities for Higher Performance
All tasks evolve. Sometimes they evolve because of technology updates or upgrades. Sometimes the world changes, and the task has to adapt to external events. So, even if you are doing a great job on something, at some point, you are probably going to have to make some accommodations and changes to ensure the task gets the work done right down the line.
Because the world changes at a faster pace than it used to, you’ll get better results if you delegate responsibilities rather than tasks. You want to train your employees to do certain tasks, but their ultimate goal is not to do it robotically forever. If you make them responsible for the result, you allow them the leeway to change when change is necessary or desired.
Sometimes, an employee will have a suggestion for how to make a process better, possibly more efficient or accurate. Sometimes they will have access to a new technology that will improve work efficiency or accuracy. This is to be encouraged and celebrated. This is the highest level of delegating tasks and responsibilities.
As a manager, it’s important to recognize that with every year, you are getting farther away from the front line. New graduates are coming into the organization with knowledge about technologies you might be less familiar with. The front line is probably the first to recognize external changes, like changing customer preferences.
If you prioritize listening in your one-on-ones with your team, you will know when changes will improve a task or a process. Make it a habit to welcome suggestions for change to help your team evolve and keep up. For major changes, help them devise a limited trial of something new. Recognize when they have found a better way to accomplish work and celebrate improvements as personal wins.
Delegating is a Win-Win Process
When you delegate tasks and responsibilities for getting work done, you are helping your team learn and building their self-esteem. You also ease your own work burden. This is a win-win for personal growth and company growth.
For more on this topic, see my article in Forbes: Delegate Responsibility Not Tasks.
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