Struggling to delegate effectively? This short book taught me so much!

If you’re drowning in work or a new manager, leaning to delegate effectively is critical to your sustainable success.

I’ve been a people manager for over a decade. Earlier in my career, I was a perfectionist micromanager and I found it hard to learn to let go. This book was eye-opening for me in its clarity and simplicity.

1. Prepare beforehand

2. Clearly define the task to be completed

3. Clearly outline the time frame

4. Define level authority

5. Identify checkpoints

6. Debrief

Steps 1-3 seemed pretty obvious to me, but I needed coaching to learn more about steps 4-6.

Did you know delegating doesn’t have to mean handing off the whole thing with the same level authority and responsibility?

You can have help and support on pieces of the process at the level that makes sense for the other person’s skill and experience (their task-relevant maturity), and in the context of the specific risks of the task.

And you should debrief to review what well well and what didn’t.

🚨 Spoiler alert: One of the things you’ll learn quickly is that you weren’t clear in communicating your expectations. But that’s ok, you’ll both learn from the debriefs.

What else would you add? Any other delegating resources to share?