The All Aboard Newsletter

Hey everyone, and welcome back to another weekly edition of the All Aboard Newsletter!

This week, we’re diving into a topic that every entrepreneur and leader will face at some point: delegation.

Whether you’ve already started delegating or are looking to get better at it, this is a skill that takes practice and can make or break your leadership success.

Typically, when we open a business or step into a new role, we wear a lot of hats. We have to!

But as the business grows, the team size increases, and the quantity of day-to-day problems picks up, it becomes clear that we can’t do it all.

We need help!

And in order to get that help, we must communicate and delegate effectively.

So today, we’ll talk about a framework that I use with my peers and colleagues that helps streamline the delegation process so everyone is on the same page.

Lets dive in!

Delegating Effectively - The 5 Levels of Delegation

If the embedded link doesn’t work, you can access the video here: Click Me

For the best experience and most information, I highly suggest you click the video!

Why Delegation Matters

Show me an effective leader, and I’ll show you someone who is a great delegator.

Its not uncommon for people to think that delegation simply means handing off tasks (aka grunt work) and telling people what to do.

While that CAN be true in some cases (level 1), typically delegation is actually about empowering your team and getting more done.

Effective delegation can help us manage expectations, hit our goals, and create a more organized businesses. When we delegate well, everyone is happier.

Why?

Because people know exactly what they’re responsible for, what everyone’s expectations are, and they’re empowered to do their job w/o oversight (in some cases).

The Hard Truth: Why We Don’t Delegate

Everything that I’m saying is likely obvious to you.

But if we know delegation is important, then why do so few people actually do it?

Well, because its HARD.

Delegation is a skill. Most of us are not born with the innate ability to delegate. Its a learned skill!

Delegation requires trust in others and a willingness to let go. Many entrepreneurs (myself included) often find it tough to let go because we’re control freaks. That need for control often roots from a place of anxiety and its totally understandable! There is so much riding on the success of your business, and if there is going to be a screw up, you’d rather it be YOUR screw up right?

But here's the reality: if you want to grow, you need to trust your team and empower them to go out and get shit done.

Your team are going to make mistakes along the way, and that is OK! When they make mistakes, don’t rip responsibility back from them, that only discourages people. Instead, use it as a coaching opportunity for your team!

The 5 Levels of Delegation

One of the best tools for mastering delegation is the 5 Levels of Delegation framework.

We use this framework with every single manager on our team. It helps us streamline expectations AND communication.

Here’s a quick rundown:

• Level 1: Do exactly as I told you – This is where most of us start, and it’s necessary to be clear about what we want done. Note - this is a lot of work for YOU the leader, but if they can’t follow directions, that tells you all you need to know.

• Level 2: Research the topic and report back – Get the details, but let me make the final call. This shows you how they think about a problem and diagnose it. Once they’re giving you the lay of the land in a sufficient and clear way, move to level 3.

• Level 3: Make a recommendation – Tell me what you would do and why. I’ll decide, but I value your input. This is where you start to teach your team tactics and strategy. By ensuring they make recommendations, you’re giving them opportunities to problem solve and think critically! Once you start agreeing w/ their recommendations often, go to level 4.

• Level 4: Decide with reporting back – You can make the decision, but let me know what happened and why. This is the first step of truly letting go. When things go wrong (they will), don’t take the reigns back! RESIST! Use it to teach them.

• Level 5: Decide without reporting back – This is where you want your trusted leaders to be. They make the decisions without needing approval because they understand the bigger picture. You’ll know when its time to land here. And congratulations, you’ve achieved more freedom of your time!

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Setting Boundaries with Delegation

As you move through the levels of delegation, it’s important to set boundaries.

For example, I let my department heads make decisions without needing to report back for most things, but when it comes to things like pay raises or bonuses, I still need to be in the loop.

Fiscal responsibility is extremely important to me, and I just don’t feel 100% comfortable letting that responsibility go and thats ok.

Everyone is going to have different tasks that they don’t feel comfortable letting go. The point is not to let go of everything, its to get rid of the things that prevent you from doing the best possible work you can do because you’re caught up in minutae!

The 5 Rights of Delegation

To make sure your delegation is successful, you need to get these five rights right:

1. The right task – Delegate things that others can do better or that free you up to do more important work.

2. The right person – Choose the right person for the task. Play to people’s strengths!

3. The right direction and communication – Clear and concise instructions are essential. Without it, you are going in different directions.

4. The right circumstances – Make sure the task is suitable for the person and situation.

5. The right supervision – Provide enough oversight to make sure the task is done properly but don’t micromanage.

Get these five rights correct, and you’re going to have a good time!

Change Your Delegation Mindset

Instead of thinking “I need to do this,” start thinking, “Who can I trust to do this?” For me, it’s been a game-changer to hand off tasks to my team.

Closing Thoughts

Delegation is an ongoing practice, and it takes time to get it right. The more you practice, the easier it will be. Stick with it, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way. And remember, if you ever need help, I'm here to support you!

Until next week, thanks so much for reading!

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