Here’s the process we set up with many of my clients to delegate without losing control.
1. Let them make mistakes.
It’s the only way people learn.
No mistakes = no growth.
Big growth = big mistakes.
Budget for it!
2. Set the limits.
Which decisions should a manager make on her own and which ones require approval? Sometimes this is just money-based: every decision over X should be approved. Sometimes there may be other criteria, like VIP clients or specific topics.
3. Make these limits dynamic.
Set up a process for reviewing them. Every time someone comes to you for approval, ask yourself: was it really needed? Extend the team's autonomy whenever you can.
4. Delegate goals, not actions.
Don’t tell people what to do. Tell them what results you need. Agree on the goals. Make sure they have a strategy to achieve these goals.
Coach them, if needed, until they have this strategy. Then get out of the way and let them do their thing.
5. Control the focus.
There’s always exactly one main limitation on the way to the goals you have agreed on. To achieve the goals, the team needs to focus on this limitation, overcome it, and move on to the next. And the next.
You need to control 2 things:
1. Do they focus on this main limitation?
2. Do they overcome their limitations or are they stuck with just one of them?
You can control it during your weekly meetings. If you find out they don’t know what their main limitation is, don’t focus on it, or can’t overcome it, start digging. It’s an early indicator of their not meeting their goals on time.
Recap:
1. Let them make mistakes.
2. Set the limits.
3. Make these limits dynamic.
4. Delegate goals, not actions.
5. Control the focus.