Even though you’ve delegated, you still own the results.
Delegating is not a passive, once-and-done activity. Even though you’ve assigned authority and responsibility to carry out a specific task or project, you still own its success. As we continue the 5-step delegation process that we started with Steps 1 and 2 here , you formalize your ongoing involvement and ownership throughout Steps 3–5.
Step 3: Establish the check-in points.
This step is about tracking and managing the task or project, once delegated. You establish recurring check-ins, determining the best method for the individual/team and you. So, is that a call? An email? A text? How often? Should problems be communicated right away, without waiting for the scheduled check-in?
Step 4: Review and assess the progress.
To ensure you stay actively engaged, set a schedule for yourself to review and assess progress. Are you—and the person/team doing the work—still clear, willing, able, committed, and available to achieve the task? Is the work on track? Has anything changed?
Step 5: Take action.
Based on your assessment in Step 4, take action to solve problems as needed and keep the task or project progressing. You may need to:
- Give further direction or guidance.
- Provide solutions to overcome challenges.
- Reallocate resources or distribute new ones.
- Validate progress with the person/team and motivate them toward success.
- Reassign the task if necessary.
Above all, you OWN it!
When you delegate, you retain accountability for success. And, yes, that’s a hard truth about leadership.
But when you embrace ownership at work, you open yourself up to new possibilities and opportunities. You become more in charge of yourself: self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, self-corrective. In turn, you become more in charge of your own success.
And by delegating, you foster ownership in your team, too. You enable them to develop their skills by taking on new responsibilities. To set goals and recognize their progress. To have a chance to shine—and maybe sometimes struggle or even fail, but to learn from that experience.
You inspire a sense of autonomy and competence in them—even as you retain ownership of the task’s or project’s success.
Above all, delegation is a powerful ownership tool, both for the delegator and the delegatee. Through ownership, you and they control what each of you can control. It’s not about being perfect, but rather taking responsibility for your actions (including delegating) and doing the best you can with what you have.
Delegation is one of the Dynamite Dozen—12 skills of effective managers that we help organizations develop in their leaders every day. We’d love to work with your team too.
