The Importance of Delegation

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The takeaway here is to describe goals and not actions. That's, I think, the most important thing in delegating. A lot of managers make the mistake that they get too detailed and too prescriptive with their task assignments. And this has an advantage of empowering your subordinate to own the task or learn better through their own approach.

Hassan Osman: Effective Delegation of Authority Hassan is a project management office leader at Cisco, where he leads a team of over 150 project and program managers on delivering complex projects across the world. He’s also served as a management consultant at Ernst & Young (now EY), where he led projects and programs for the largest enterprises. He’s the author of Effective Delegation of Authority: A (Really) Short Book for New Managers About How to Delegate Work Using a Simple Delegation Process. In this episode, Hassan and I discuss the three stages of delegation, the critical importance of planning, and how to leverage delegation as a development opportunity. Also impressive is the ten books Hassan has published while working full-time as a manager at a Fortune 100 company. He teaches others how to do it on his Writer on the Side podcast. Key Points Before you begin the delegation process, decide on the outcomes you need and the right person to get you there. Set expectations for goals, not actions. Use checkpoints to ensure progress and adjust frequency for experience and visibility. Summarize delegation meetings in writing after they occur. The real work of managers is to define the work, before it starts. Resources Mentioned Effective Delegation of Authority: A (Really) Short Book for New Managers About How to Delegate Work Using a Simple Delegation Process* by Hassan Osman Writer on the Side podcast Book Notes Download my highlights from Effective Delegation of Authority in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Start Influencing Virtual Teams, with Hassan Osman (episode 234) The Way to Stop Rescuing People From Their Problems, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 284) Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.