Delegation decisions
How to let go and help others grow at work and at home
When I started managing, I was terrible at handing things off. Out of sheer necessity, I started experimenting and later found a delegation decision tool in Camille Fournier’s book The Manager’s Path.
The premise is that the delegated tasks should advance both the team’s objectives and the individual’s growth to be useful for the group and motivating to the delegate.
Then when picking tasks to hand off, consider the following:
- Level of complexity — Can the employee do this independently, and
- Frequency — How much time will this task take in the long run?
At work, I learned to hand over low-complexity, high-frequency tasks, like straightforward project scoping documents, to senior analysts.
This approach also meant showing rising leaders how to lead one-off, high-profile projects, such as a co-branded digital index, and collaborating with leads on re-occurring strategic tasks, like building out project calendars.
Delegating was necessary, partly because it let folks step up, grow, and show they were ready for promotions.
I also learned the importance of holding on to tedious and infrequent tasks, like booking the dinner reservation for a team outing. Handing these menial things off doesn’t help anyone grow, doesn’t save me much time, and can create resentment.
Given how well this approach worked at work, I tried it at home.
Delegating disasters
Delegating to kids is more nuanced. For example, tasks can’t be phrased as questions because my kids will think it’s optional.
My kids also needed way more oversight. Their sense of accountability is, ahem, underdeveloped.
I learned this after letting our girls make their lunches last year. My first grader filled her bag with snacks and stopped eating her sandwich. Then she forgot to put her lunchbox in her backpack, so I had to run from work to bring it to school.
Now, I own school lunches and watch my girls make their weekend sandwiches. This one will stay a ‘partnership’ for a while.
Overall, however, I’ve found my kids are excited to do complex tasks because it gives them a sense of independence — that they’re bigger kids.
And kids are usually able to do more than I’d expect.
Tasks like clearing their dinner plates were handed off as young as possible. My preschooler was excited to show he could reach the counter with his dishes. And setting expectations early helps the habit stick.
My eldest daughter started fishing this summer — an infrequent and intricate task that makes me feel squeamish. She learned to cut the worm, put it on the hook, cast the line, unhooks the fish for her siblings, and throw it in the bucket of water.
While I was there, so no one drowned, she knew I wouldn’t cut that worm for her. She enjoyed getting this independence, and I enjoyed relaxing on the dock.
I’ve also stopped trying to delegate simple one-off tasks, like bringing in a delivery package. It ends up being more of a fight than it’s worth, and I’m not sure what it teaches them.
This post is an excerpt from my 4th Mom Memos newsletter, which applies management lessons to parenthood and parenting lessons to management. Sign up for more.
