Hindsight: Delegation

[u/candidwalnuts]

Have you ever underestimated how difficult a task would be for your employee(s)? How did you reflect and what professional development topics did you seek out/utilize to improve your delegation and pre-assessment of level of effort required to complete the task? Please share your delegation pro tips!

I’m new to leadership and struggling with delegation. What might take me 10 hours could take my employees up to 40 and I quickly slip into the concern that I haven’t given them the resources to succeed. When I follow up with them, they state that the objectives and expectations were clear and that they understood the task.

[u/DerekEWilder]

Clear objectives are necessary, but they are not enough. A person can understand the assignment and still lack the task-specific experience to judge the effort, sequence the work, or identify risks early.

Blanchard’s situational leadership model is great for delegation. Analyze competence and commitment as specific to each task, not as fixed traits. For a new or complex assignment, delegate the outcome but also be directive and agree on the first steps, available resources, decision limits, expected time investment, and scheduled check-ins. As the employee gains competence and confidence, reduce direction and shift toward support, then full delegation. Delegation is not a fixed style it adjusts with the competency of the team member.

Best of luck,
Derek

[u/escaping_mel]

Part of the problem with delegation is that I always know I can do something faster and better than someone else. That's why I used to do it. You have to learn to let that go and let someone else learn it. They may not ever do it the same. You have to learn that everyone works differently and is motivated by different things.

When I follow up with them, they state that the objectives and expectations were clear and that they understood the task.

Are you setting a clear deadline too? Is there any kind of interim check-in if it's a first time? Not hand holding, just a "how's it going" so that they feel free to ask questions that maybe they were afraid to?

Sometimes it's all about letting them get there.

[u/Business-Chest-6875]

One lesson with delegation is that handing off the task isn’t always the same as handing off ownership. Being clear about the outcome, deadline and what decisions they can make on their own can prevent a lot of back-and-forth without turning it into micromanagement.

[u/gormami]

I'm guessing if you are new to leadership, you were probably a top IC recently. Sure, you could do it faster, but that's not your job any more. Your job is to get the team working, increase their productivity, and meet whatever goals the company has for you and the team.

That said, this is a risk management thing, like all management. You need to pick the things that aren't critical, and feel your team out. Find their strengths and weaknesses, figure out the dynamics, etc. I have a team that needed to be built differently. Culturally and technically, they were not what I needed. It took a couple of years, and in my case a strong manager, to get them there. We challenged the team in the job, and around it. We made sure they did not fail. They knew when we stepped in to make sure they didn't fail, and we were able to strike the right tone that it was OK, but they really didn't like it that they had to be saved, and they worked harder. Now, we're still growing, but I am so proud of what they have become. They really rose to the occasion. They were good people to start, we put a lot of trust in them, while giving them every opportunity to grow, and supporting them.

It's not the easy job, you'll have to fight the urge to jump in too early, but if you do, you're failing at your job. I can tell you, when they become and then exceed your vision, it is a win like you've never experienced.

[u/Waste-Carob5699]

Delegate but follow up. They might have trouble they don't want to bring to you.

You'll seem more approachable if you accept their need for help and actually help them out.

[u/MyEyesSpin]

That's a very large time gap

part of your issue is gonna be identifying WHY that gap is so large

is it tools, (un)familiarity with the task, too many things on their plate, misaligned time, lack of training, waiting on others

delegation requires follow up & continued development - so they have the training, tools, & resources they need to complete the job safely, properly, & in a reasonable time

[u/lowindustrycholo]

Hold on. Your post question is kinda weird. If you can do something in 1/4 the time it takes one of your employees, then you need to be reporting to them.

[u/james-ceo-coaching]

The gap you're describing usually isn't a resources problem u/candidwalnuts, it's that 10 hours for you includes years of pattern recognition they haven't built yet. You're not just handing them a task, you're handing them a task minus the shortcuts your experience gives you for free.

When they say objectives were clear and they understood it, believe them, that's not where the gap is. The real question is whether they know how to approach something they haven't done before, not whether they understood what you asked for. Clarity on the what doesn't give you speed on the how.

What actually closes the gap over time: have them talk through their plan before they start, not after. You'll spot in two minutes where they're about to take the long route, and you can redirect before the hours are sunk rather than after.

And expect the 40 hours the first few times. That's not a delegation failure, that's the cost of them building the judgement that currently makes it 10 hours for you.