The Delegation Playbook: A Simple System That Works
Imagine you want to delegate something to someone. You need the work to be done, but you don't want to do it yourself. There is lots of different ways of phrasing what you want.
All week I have been writing about delegation. Getting ready for my masterclass on Friday: The Art of Delegation (information below).
On Monday we learned about 3 delegation traps.
On Tuesday we learned how delegation turned around the crew of a nuclear submarine.
On Wednesday we learned a mindset shift that can improve your delegation.
And today, I am going to share with you one of my favourite frameworks for thinking about delegation. It is called the Delegation Levels Model. And it works like this.
Imagine you want to delegate something to someone. You need the work to be done, but you don't want to do it yourself. There is lots of different ways of phrasing what you want.
At one end of the spectrum, you could say "do exactly this". For example, "send this report to the client by 5pm today".
This is useful if, the person is new or inexperienced, there’s no room for error, or time is critical. But if you overuse this technique, you keep people dependent on you and they never really grow.
At the other end of the spectrum, you could say "you’ve got this.” For example, “I trust you to run the event. I don’t need to be involved.”
This is useful when, the person is fully capable, doesn’t need oversight and you want a culture of ownership and responsibility. But if you do that too soon when you start to work with someone, they might feel abandoned and out of their depth.
The delegation levels model gives us seven different levels of delegation:
- Tell – “Do exactly as I say.”
💬 "I need you to send this report to the client by 5pm today." - Sell – “Do this because…”
💬 "I’d like you to use this new project tracking tool because it will improve transparency." - Consult – “What do you think? Here’s my decision.”
💬 "I’m thinking of shifting our meeting schedule. What’s your take?" - Agree – “Let’s decide together.”
💬 "We need a better process for onboarding. Let’s figure it out together." - Advise – “I’ll give input, but you decide.”
💬 "I trust you to lead the strategy, but I’m here if you need feedback." - Inquire – “Tell me what you did.”
💬 "You’re in charge of hiring. Keep me updated on progress." - Delegate – “You’ve got this.”
💬 "I trust you to run the event. I don’t need to be involved."
Notice that, as you move through the levels, the language changes to reflect the shift in ownership, accountability and autonomy.
And here's the magic part.
The more you can shift the team from the bottom to the top of the levels, the more high performing it becomes. But, you can't make the jump from the bottom to the top in one go.
So, think about someone you need to delegate to. Which level is your normal conversation at? Can you shift it one level higher today?
Hope it goes well, Stephen
It's almost the last chance for you to sign up to my delegation masterclass tomorrow. Just register for free at HeRO Academy. If you don't like being a part of it, you never have to pay. Only 2 places left this week.