Corporate Management

Management, how to cultivate leadership through effective delegation

Delegation spreads a culture based on trust and empowerment, improving people's well-being and, consequently, organisational efficiency

7 November 2024

4' min read

True leadership manifests itself by cultivating people's potential. This assumption alone is enough to understand how decisive the ability to manage one of the most valuable managerial processes is, namely delegation. Which not only represents an excellent engine for development but also spreads a culture based on trust and empowerment, improving people's well-being and, consequently, organisational efficiency.

Technically, it occurs when a manager, the delegator, entrusts one of his activities to a collaborator, the delegate. The error is inherent in understanding delegation as a single act, an isolated order aimed at making up, perhaps temporarily, for an excessive workload, and not as a process, which, if implemented in a virtuous manner, will lead to the growth of both the recipient and the delegator. Hence of the company as a whole. By way of example, imagine a manager asking a collaborator to write an estimate for him. In this case one is not dealing with a delegation, but with a request for a favour linked to a specific need. It is a delegation, on the other hand, to agree that from then on it is the co-worker who is in charge of writing all the estimates. In the first case, there is the mere transmission of a mandate; in the second, a responsibility is being entrusted.

To manage this delicate process while avoiding misunderstandings arising from cognitive bias you need a method. What I propose stems from communication and neuroscience studies and the practical observation of numerous entrepreneurs, CEOs and managers leading teams and organisations. It is the 70 30 30® Method, described in detail in my book Overcoming the Unexpected. The strategic use of time (ACS Editore, Milan, 2023).

70%

Delegation may only commence if the manager considers that the employee has the capacity to perform the entrusted task at least 70% of how it would be performed in person. It is the responsibility of the delegator to communicate the initiation of the delegation, making it clear from the outset that it is a process of continuous growth and, as such, includes phases of coaching and monitoring.

It is (extremely) possible for misunderstandings to arise in communication determined by subjectivity in perceiving reality. One of these is the so-called focus effect, a cognitive bias that leads to concentrating on information perceived as relevant while leaving out, or forgetting, other details. It is evident how this error of the mind can influence decision-making processes, leading different people to behave differently. A good method to avoid misunderstandings arising from this bias is paraphrasing, i.e. asking the delegate to repeat what he/she is supposed to do.

At this stage, it is important to strike the right balance between trust and prudence, on the one hand accepting a margin of error on the part of the delegate and, on the other hand, avoiding being reckless by pushing towards activities that are highly above the delegate's capabilities.

From 70% to 100%

In the second phase, the employee is supported so that he/she can perform the task at least 100 per cent. This is done through a well-defined internal training plan, in which the delegator transfers the necessary knowledge and tools. Now the biggest obstacle is likely to be the delegator's ego, which may lead to a strong psychological resistance to accept that someone else can do the same job, perhaps even better. It is necessary to overcome this egoriferous vision by coming to the realisation that one's principals are interested in the result and not in who achieved it. It is therefore important to recognise that through this process the delegator will be able to devote himself to activities that bring real added value. Delegating does not mean relinquishing control but rather multiplying forces.

It is precisely in this second phase that the so-called MBO (Management By Objectives) mode is implemented: the manager indicates to the delegate a goal to be achieved autonomously, while keeping him or her constantly monitored to observe his or her work and providing constructive feedback.

From 100% to 130%

Contrary to popular belief, the delegation process does not end when the employee achieves 100 per cent performance but goes much further, hypothetically up to 130 per cent. The delegate may in fact invest time and energy to specialise in the entrusted task, even going beyond the level of the principal. This step requires external training, as there is not internally the necessary knowledge for exceeding the 100 per cent.

The mode to refer to at this stage becomes MBE (Management By Exception): no periodic monitoring but the delegate will only provide feedback in exceptionally positive or negative cases. Even at this stage, the delegator must put ego aside, being aware that it is the addition of that 30% that will guarantee growth for the organisation.

To the question "when can one recognise that the delegate has reached 130%?" the answer is only one: when he in turn starts delegating to someone else.

* Director Strategic Communication Academy

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