Delegation Tips
This page brings together a special series of short, practical delegation tips, originally shared in a simple bulletin format and followed by leaders over an extended period of time.
The Daily Tips quickly became a valued resource for managers looking to delegate more effectively and lead with greater confidence.
Although the series has now come to an end, I’m pleased to say these tips are still highly relevant, well regarded and frequently referenced by leaders today. The fundamentals of good delegation don’t change, and each tip offers timeless practical guidance that can be applied immediately in day-to-day leadership situations.
I’m featuring this collection for you as an ongoing resource, drawing on my experience of working closely with executives and leadership teams.
I hope they continue to support you in developing stronger teams, greater clarity and more effective leadership.
Dave Stitt, MCC
Feedback: adversarial or collaborative?
Some people feel they must be combative when giving feedback, as if it’s a clash of wills or a battle of wits. It’s counter-productive. Test your style against this checklist …
Organisational aimlessness
My research indicates we waste a whole day a week in useless meetings. Other findings presented here are depressing, but what does all this wasted time signify?
What a big conversation looks like
Proper feedback can’t be just any old conversation, a bit of a chit-chat, an occasional word in the ear. Here are all the things it must do …
Serena Williams and the terrible futility of annual appraisals
If I spent my career improving weaknesses, I would just end up with stronger weaknesses. Mediocrity, in other words.
Choking on the ‘feedback sandwich’
It’s a lazy, off-the-shelf technique that imposes a generic template for an idealised employee. And it’s irrelevant.
Good v. bad accountability
Good accountability is enabling and inspiring; the person is activated as an agent in bringing about a new, good reality. Bad accountability backfires.
Are we “muppets”?
It stands for “Marginal Undersized Poor Performance Enterprises”, and Britain produces quite a few of them
“I’ve been very clear”
Mind your language, because good goal setting requires clarity and precision, which takes work.
Staff abandonment
It took 10 months for the division paying David’s salary to call him in to give an account of himself. There wasn’t much to say …
Sneaky control freaks
If you engineer a big plan for your delegatee to carry out, and then police them, you’re still micromanaging.
The importance of positive deviance
Don’t bother making elaborate plans to fix problems. Instead, find out what’s already working
Complicated v. Complex (And why you must let go)
Big organisational outcomes that you can’t realise yourself are more complex than complicated. They necessitate a different approach than we’re used to