Early in my career I really struggled with delegation.
In fact, I was terrible at delegation and it was really hurting my job performance. This was before I decided to run my own business and I was working in a corporation. We simply weren’t growing because I couldn’t do everything.
When I did delegate, it seemed like a waste of time because the task wasn’t done the way I wanted, it never got done, and it took longer to complete than I thought it should.
So I would simply do the task myself. The problem was that there were simply too many things to be done for me to do them all.
Then my boss and I had a heart-to-heart. My career was on the line and it was critical for me to learn a new skill – delegation.
The first thing I did was to learn there are five levels of delegation. I printed the levels out and handed copies to my team at our next meeting.
From that point forward, every task I delegated had a number assigned to it. The number corresponded to the level of delegation. The team member and I had a conversation that defined the level of delegation and an understanding of what it meant.
Only then did the team member move ahead with the completion of the task.
Here are the levels of delegation:
- Level 1: Do as I say. This means to do exactly what I have asked you to do. Don’t deviate from my instructions. I have already researched the options and determined what I want you to do.
- Level 2: Research and report. This means researching the topic, gathering information, and reporting what you discover. We will discuss it, and then I will make the decision and tell you what I want you to do.
- Level 3: Research and recommend. This means researching the topic, outlining the options, and bringing your best recommendation. Give me the pros and cons of each option, then tell me what you think we should do. If I agree with your decision, I will authorize you to move forward.
- Level 4: Decide and inform. This means to make a decision and then tell me what you did. I trust you to do the research, make the best decision you can, and then keep me in the loop. I don’t want to be surprised by someone else.
- Level 5: Act independently. This means making whatever decision you think is best. No need to report back. I trust you completely. I know you will follow through. You have my full support.
As I mentor my VIP clients, I find delegation is something almost everyone struggles with as they grow their business. It’s most likely something you struggle with and this tool will help.
If you want more ideas like this you have a couple of options that may be helpful. First, You should consider joining our Mastermind Group where we really do a deep dive into critical topics like this. Second, if you’re not quite ready for that, you might want to schedule a call with me to explore some other options for your situation. The choice is yours, here’s the link.
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