'Just Do It' Just Won't Do

Ever wonder why it’s so tough to achieve desired project outcomes, even when highly capable stakeholders, managers and team members are involved? Is it simply because you are short-staffed and overwhelmed? Is it lack of motivation? Team discord? Whatever the dimensions of suboptimal performance on your project, chances are at least one of the causal factors is the way you (and others) delegate.

Poor delegation can be categorized into two types: Inadequate or Disabling. Within these two categories are no less that 12 classic and discrete errors in delegation. This article describes each, and provides easy-to-implement tips for how to avoid or correct them.

Inadequate Delegation

1. Failing to Identify Higher Purpose Served: Caught up in the rush of doing business, it’s easy to delegate on the run, without articulating how the assignment enables the organization to achieve its strategic initiatives. There are three important benefits to taking the extra minute or two required to articulate the linkage between the assignments and their higher purpose:

1) It increases the…