Debrief
Debriefing serves to evaluate the delegation. Congratulate your colleague if they met their objective and, if they failed, try to understand together the reasons for this failure and what they could have done differently. This is an important time for communication, so make sure that you listen. They may have had to face obstacles that they were not expecting. Or maybe the pressure was too much for them. Ask them about their feelings during the task and now that it is finished. Are they prepared to do it again? Is so, you will certainly be able to agree on further projects to delegate to them.
Top tips
Do not only give your colleagues the thankless tasks, but entrust them with rewarding assignments, as this will motivate them. The same goes for you: do not keep all the boring tasks for yourself, but establish a balance between the two. Furthermore, you should delegate the tasks that you do not have the necessary skills for and which would either considerably slow you down in the implementation of the project or would stop you from developing other actions. For example, do not try to create a computer programme yourself when you have an IT whiz who could do it for you in no time at all.
Do not hand over too much responsibility at once to your employee, as this could stress them out and leave them flustered. Act gradually and in stages: give them a fairly simple task at first and then more responsibility as they become more confident. However, if the colleague already has experience and has proved themselves, feel free to delegate one or more tasks to them that they might subsequently delegate themselves. In any case, make sure that they agree to this when you meet with them.
Entrust the tasks to a colleague that you trust, as much in terms of skills as professional behaviour. If you have doubts about a person, you will probably waste time by watching their work or fixing their mistakes, which would be entirely counterproductive and would harm both your relationship and the project.
Leave your colleague free to choose the means and the processes to put in place to succeed. This independence will demonstrate your trust in them, which will motivate them.
Remain available. The person you are delegating to must be able to contact you and ask questions about any concerns about their tasks. If you are not available, you will slow the project down.
Make sure that you follow the development of the project and give constructive feedback on the results attained or the areas for improvement, remaining consistent with your expectations. To do this, you could keep a logbook covering the role of each colleague, the division of tasks and how far along each task is. Setting up evaluation meetings is also recommended, as long as these do not take place too frequently.
If something does not go to plan, review it privately with your colleague. There is no point reprimanding them in front of the entire team as this risks frustrating and demotivating them, and causing them to lose all credibility with their colleagues.
Avoid micromanaging. If you keep closely watching your colleague at inopportune moments, this will remove their responsibility and demotivate them. However, you must not delegate blindly and take major risks for the company. Quickly check on your employee from time to time.
Avoid delegating when it is urgent or too late. Effective delegation requires preparation. Do not wait until you are snowed under before you decide, because your colleagues will feel as though they are being used as a last resort and will not get involved as you want them to. Take the time to analyse the project, define the different actions to be carried out, identify the most suitable colleague, and communicate the information pertaining to the project.
Do not forget to thank, congratulate and give credit to the employee. After all, if the project has succeeded, it is partly thanks to them.
FAQs
I don’t feel like I have too much work, do I still need to delegate?
There is no point delegating for the sake of it. Do it when you have a heavy workload or short deadlines, or when a person is more capable than you of carrying out a specific task. Delegating part of a project is an effective way of successfully getting it done. It allows you to manage your time better and in this way to be able to dedicate yourself to other activities. Furthermore, by entrusting your colleagues with tasks, you make them aware of their responsibilities and allow them to become invested in the company’s activity by motivating them.
When is the right time to delegate?
Don’t wait until you are snowed under or until you realise that you will not be able to achieve the goal set (through a lack of time or skills). As soon as you get a new project, analyse all the skills and tasks that will be needed to see it through. Identify the ones that you can handle alone and entrust your colleagues with the others. In addition, take advantage of slow periods to organise your delegation of power.
When I delegate, am I abandoning part of the project?
Contrary to what many people think, offloading some of the tasks does not mean abandoning the project. It is a necessary method for better organising working time by dividing tasks and responsibilities. This allows you to reduce stress while showing your team that you value them and motivating them. Delegating is the complete opposite of abandoning; it is a way of giving yourself the tools to see your project through. Forget the clichés and try it!
Can I entrust my colleagues with any kind of tasks?
You can delegate in any domain: administration, sales, finance, marketing, technical, etc. What counts is knowing what you want to hand over to other people and selecting the best colleague for the task based on their skills, their availability and the amount of responsibility involved. You should, however, remain responsible for tasks which fall under your role as the manager. Finally, avoid abusing this approach by delegating tasks purely because you find them boring.
Once a task has been delegated, do I still need to deal with it?
Monitoring is necessary whenever you delegate, provided that it is done in moderation. Indeed, it would be counterproductive to closely watch your colleagues’ progress on the project every day and to inspect their slightest actions and movements. It is better to plan evaluation meetings, although these should not take place too frequently so as not to slow down the process. These meetings should be accompanied by positive feedback to allow your colleague to continue on the right track. Rather than monitoring, it is a matter of guiding them in the success of the project.
What tools can help me to organise my delegating?
There are no specific tools for delegation. However, using mind maps or tables to divide up the tasks can help you. Remaining positive and available, communicating at all times, making the necessary resources available, and encouraging and believing in your colleagues will be your best assets to succeed.
What risks are linked to delegating?
Although delegation is often recommended as a way of lightening your workload, speeding up the process of putting the project in place and showing the staff of a company that they are valued, it brings with it a number of risks, such as:
disrupting the hierarchy, in that the decisions made by subordinates could take priority over those made by superiors or may lead to contradictory messages being communicated;
creating jealousy or resentment within the team;
causing deviations from the norm if the person delegated to abuses their power or if the person doing the delegating hands over just any task;
causing frustration for the person who the task has been delegated to if they are not guided well or if the objectives are not clearly defined.
How can I make sure my coworker will accept this task positively?
For the person to accept the task you are giving them positively, you must ensure that they do not see it as an unpleasant assignment that you want to get rid of. Explain to them why you have chosen them (what skills), present the importance of the task to them and grant them some degree of independence to carry it out. If you involve them in th
e project, trust them, make them aware of their responsibilities and grant them some initiative, they will feel valued and will fully commit to the project.
Can delegation be revoked partway through a project?
An act of delegation established for an unspecified period can be revoked at any time. If a person is abusing their power, you can absolutely take it away from them. It is also worth remembering that delegation is linked to actions and decision-making. This means that the departure (whether natural or not) of a supervisor who has delegated some of their tasks or responsibilities does not automatically bring about the end of the delegation.
Do I need to formalise my delegation in writing?
In the case of a transfer of power, it is strongly advised that you formalise this delegation in writing, specifying the date that the transfer of power takes effect, the duration, the nature of the powers delegated and the potential agreements defined in advance by the delegate (the person entrusted with some of the responsibilities) and the delegator (the supervisor who is transferring some of their powers).
In other cases, such as the delegation of tasks on an occasional basis, it is not necessary to draw up an official document. However, it is important to remember that any written records may be useful in the case of legal action and could be used as evidence.
Over to you
You now have everything you need to delegate successfully and benefit your entire team. To help you get started, use the project grid or a mind map to decide what tasks to delegate and who to entrust them to.
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Further reading
Bibliography
Condis, S. (2011) Comment déléguer en 5 questions clés. L’Express. [Online]. [Accessed 21 November 2016]. Available from:
Coudière, H. (2015) Savoir déléguer pour réussir. La Formation Pour Tous. [Online]. [Accessed 21 November 2016]. Available from:
Segeco (2010) La délégation de pouvoirs dans les sociétés. [Online]. [Accessed 21 November 2016]. Available from:
Tramond, P. (2009) Sachez déléguer. Pilotis. [Online]. [Accessed 15 November 2015]. Available from:
Additional sources
Genett, D. M. (2004) If You Want it Done Right, You Don't Have to Do it Yourself: The Power of Effective Delegation. California: Quill Driver Books.
Heller, R (1998) How To Delegate (Essential Managers). London: Dorling Kindersley.
Keenan, K. (2015) Delegate: Learn How to Let Go with Confidence and Get More Done. Bath: Pocket Manager.
Smart, J. K. (2002) Real Delegation: How to Get People to Do Things for You – And Do Them Well. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
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