In a recent coaching session, a leader shared their frustration with a project they had delegated and what the team had delivered. I helped the leader reflect on their initial briefing of the project. The reflections revealed blindspots in delegating and coaching helped the leader be more intentional in setting the team up for success next time.
Now, the topic of delegation is generally discussed as individual contributors move into their first role managing people, but this coaching session left me wondering, do leaders put less emphasise on delegating effectively the more senior they become?
Delegation is a transfer of authority or responsibility between two or more people. Yet, many of the articles on delegation fail to put our basic psychological needs at the heart of these human interactions.
This article highlights some common delegation mistakes and offers a practical framework that makes strengthening intrinsic motivation and accountability a goal for these conversations.
Delegation Mistakes
Studies indicate a common mistake is the lack of preparation when delegating a task. Sound obvious? In my experience this lack of preparation is common among experienced leaders who delegate 'on the fly'. Preparation happens in real time as the project is being delegated. Sound familiar? We often rely on experience in these delegation situations. However, with the pace of change, is there a risk in relying on what worked in the past?
This lack of preparation can come from a bias to action. We can find ourselves responding to a feeling of anxiety about the scale of a task or an approaching deadline. Instead of taking time to plan a way forward, we react to these uncomfortable feelings and find ourselves firing off an email or gathering a team and starting the briefing process prematurely.
Another common mistake is needing more specificity when delegating, especially when working in teams. With a lack of preparation, we can find ourselves not being specific which is fundamental to accountability – the who, what, when and how. This lack of detail can leave the team trying to make sense of the situation, leading to disappointment when the brief doesn't meet expectations and needs to be cleaned up with specificity later.
Having highlighted three common delegation mistakes, this article offers a simple framework that can be used when delegating to make strengthening motivation the focus of these conversations.
Motivating Conversations
This model has been adapted from the book "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" by Daniel Pink. This book offers a reminder of what drives human behaviour and performance.
It can be used to strengthen the personal responsibility your team brings to working on projects and foster the intrinsic motivation that will inspire people to 'go the extra mile' when they are delegated a project.
Pink explores intrinsic motivation and highlights the importance of autonomy, mastery, and purpose in fostering individual and collective fulfilment in the workplace. This framework has been adapted to include the importance of Support in goal attainment.
I have included a brief description of MAPS and some tips on how to apply this to delegation.
Mastery:
People are motivated when they feel like they are growing, succeeding in their roles, and mastering their craft. Therefore, as a leader, give people opportunities to develop their skills, offer feedback, and give your team access to projects that enable them to refine their talents, expand their knowledge, and achieve mastery and competence in their role.
The challenge in delegating a project is coming up with a mastery goal that offers some stretch in their capabilities but is also achievable based on the individual or team's level of competency. When we get the balance right, a stretch goal increases motivation.
Autonomy:
Giving people autonomy is one of the powerful ways to motivate others. Autonomy is when people are given the freedom to make choices, set their own goals, and manage their work in ways that allow them to express their creativity, take ownership of projects, and where they can learn from these experiences.
Effective delegation is about scaffolding a level of autonomy someone can cope with based on their experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. Giving someone too much autonomy can undermine their confidence, or too little, and someone can get frustrated and feel micromanaged. Having a conversation about what level of autonomy is appropriate takes out the guesswork of delegating projects.
Purpose:
An individual may know their role and how to do it, but the most crucial part is to create a sense of shared purpose. A shared purpose is the idea that people within the organisation are all aligned to the same mission. Where there is a shared purpose and there is drive, alignment, and a collective sense of belonging. When done well, a shared purpose results in happier and more motivated employees, which drives high performance.
Creating a shared purpose ensures the person understands why they are completing a task. Take the time to provide context on the project, why it is vital to the organisation, and connect the person's role in this bigger picture. Also, if relevant, connect how this experience will support the individual's career aspirations.
Support:
Delegation is not a set-and-forget. Leaders recognise their role in making this a learning experience and include an appropriate number of check-in meetings to support the project's completion. A check-in is not micromanagement but ensures you have provided support and feedback at every step for the individual's growth and development. These check-in meetings can take the form of coaching conversations.
In summary, when applied, MAPS views delegation as a two-way process, where feedback from the person who is delegated a task will help you set them up for success. Ensures they know what is expected and have the resources to complete the task before leaving the briefing meeting.
This approach to delegation is most helpful when a task is new, complex, or high-stakes, or you're working with someone for the first time. Try using the MAPS framework to help guide these conversations and set your team up for success. At the end of the day, if they fail to meet expectations, start by asking, what might I have done differently in delegating this project?'