Delegation

Regardless of their level, when someone does something wrong, more often than not, the fault was with the instruction. This is especially true if more than one person has struggled to grasp something you have delegated.

Taking these simple steps when delegating a task (or asking anyone to do anything), can be a really worthwhile exercise:

Define the task

You wouldn't have a football pitch without a goal. You need to clearly explain what needs to be done.

Select the individual

There might be an obvious person in choice here but think outside of the box, in case a more appropriate individual springs to mind.

Assess competence and motivation

Once you know who is going to take this on, you need to assess their ability. Are you confident they have the skills to execute this? Can you think of specific evidence where they've proven their competence, or are you taking a gamble?

Secondly, motivation is crucially important. What are the consequences if this individual doesn't succeed? What is in store for if they smash it?

You could ask the most competent person in the world to complete a project but if they're not motivated, they just might not bother!

Define key results

Be clear about the desired outcome. If its someone competent and highly motivated, keep this simple to avoid micromanagement.

Consider here also how you convey the expected outcome. Should it be in writing to avoid confusion?

Identify required resources

Understanding what support is needed will be dependent on the individual and it's important to include them in this stage, as you may not have visibility of what they're currently faced with. Maybe it's as simple as making sure they have high speed internet. Or maybe they're a manager who already is working double their contracted hours, and to get this done you need to hire them some temp support.

Don't be afraid to select someone else if it becomes clear the wrong person was chosen initially.

Agree timeline

The key word here is 'agree'. There might be some non-negotiable dates to work with, but you as a leader need a good understanding of what is realistically doable considering the full context and the individual must feed into that. You need to listen to their thoughts and assess whether you can turn the dial and get some stretch out of them. For example, someone may say I'll get this done by the next quarter.. could they try to stretch it to 10 weeks?

Support and communicate

I would also clarify the boundaries with the support available and the communication expectations at the outset. Discussing when and how you expect updates reduces the need to chase. It also means there's less unexpected checking in which can lead to feelings of distrust amongst the team.

Having the expectations around support and communication clarified early on also gives you a foundation for evidencing any potential underperformance.

The conversation around support is a crucial step. It might become apparent the individual needs too much resource and so choosing a different person might be sensible.

Provide feedback on results

Finally, give your view on how the individual has done. Reinforcing great behaviour and guiding on areas that need improvement will lead to better performance in the future. Keep this focused on results rather than anything personal. Feedback is a gift and you are trying to build an open and honest relationship, not necessarily a friend.

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