Three most important rules of delegation
Delegation is one of the most important skills for engineering managers. If you are good with delegation and feedback, you are already ahead of the most.
In this post, I’ll share the three most important rules of delegation. Think about it as a cheat sheet.
1 - Delegate outcomes, not tasks
Hiring smart people to tell them what to do is definitely not the smartest thing to do.
Engineering managers who used to be good engineers struggle with this a lot. Details matter, and you might know how to execute the task correctly. However, a manager's job is not to dictate everything. Our job is to create conditions for success.
Engineers are one of the best problem solvers in the world. Some engineers in your team are smarter than you. More experienced than you. More creative than you. They will find a way to achieve goals and deliver on time, but they might do it their way.
When delegating, we must have a clear definition of the goals, motivation, requirements, outcomes and expectations. Explain what success looks like and how it is going to be measured. Explain “what” and “why” behind the task, but leave the “how” to the people you’re delegating to.
2 - Tailor projects to the people
In the ideal situation, delegation is not about execution. It is not about handing off the task to someone. Delegation is about skills development. Combined with feedback, delegation is managers best tool for people growth and team building.
Who has the time?
Who would love to take this?
Who needs to take this to learn a skill or show that they have the skill?
Who can execute the best (if that’s the main goal)?
Don’t have the answer? No worries. Discuss it with your team.
3 - Let it go
Delegation is about trust.
Pick the right person for the task, provide all the information and trust him/her/them to complete it. You will check in with them from time to time. If they struggle, you will provide help and guidance. If they fail, you will take the hit, give constructive feedback and continue. That’s the job.
If you’re not comfortable with letting go, start with small tasks that are “safe to delegate”. Something you can easily fix or undo.
Don’t be afraid to delegate and let people figure it out by themselves. Pick the right person and trust them to do their best. Engineers are smart. If they know what and why they need to achieve, they will find a way. Meanwhile, you could focus on the high-impact tasks - strategy, prioritisation, team building, skills development, and more.