If you want to be really effective with delegation, you’ll need to get really good at delivering AND receiving feedback. Perhaps the most critical aspect in the art of delegating is what occurs after the task is finished. This is the delegation follow-up stage, your opportunity for feedback.
Feedback has a poor reputation. First, it can be time consuming. But even in times of competing deadlines and commitments, everyone should be learning. Feedback is essential, and those organizations and teams that actively engage with feedback loops are able to make decisions and adjustments to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Second, few leaders know how to deliver it well; it is often poorly handled and sometimes avoided until too late. Instead of setting up feedback conversations that act as a learning loop, leaders are delivering one-way messages. People are seen as problems to be corrected instead of sources of information.
The project assignment, whether delegated or not, should come with a clearly communicated set of expectations. How the employee met those expectations is the subject of the feedback. Employees who meet expectations deserve appropriate praise for their success. Giving people recognition and thanks for their efforts keeps them engaged and willing to do more.
On the other hand, when expectations are not met, a constructive feedback process is necessary. This is a considerate discussion on the improvements needed, while pointing out the positive things that took place. Leaders who can give instructive feedback while expressing consideration and thanks earn trust from employees and guide them to improvement.
Nothing causes your people to dread delegation more than an unfortunate response from you. When they dread it, the result of their work suffers accordingly. This in turn causes you to dread it, and the cycles spirals down.
Ask for Feedback
As an expression of humility and openness, ask your people for their feedback on your delegation methods. Can your style be better? This dialogue helps to improve the delegation relationship and make you a better leader. Keep in mind that each employee may have a slightly different approach to feedback and discussion. Knowing them personally gives you the best advantage.
Create a culture that welcomes delegated tasks as an opportunity to learn, grow and contribute in the mission. Many leaders find this to be the most freeing way to be better delegators; when the process yields two-way success the organization is better suited to manage high workload situations.
What do you think? How is feedback incorporated into your delegation process? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
