Andre Vondran

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Delegation, Yes... Delegation!

Delegation, Yes... Delegation!

The most commonly misunderstood area in management is delegation--and that is misunderstood by both managers and subordinates alike.  

Many people act as if there were only two choices--full delegation and no delegation. You may be surprised to learn that neither are common in practice. In fact, in searching history books, I can find only one case of a pharoah and a master fully delegating to Joseph, and a few cases of emperors in China fully delegating to trusted others.

So, what do read between lines here? Are you able to Delegate?

Most Leaders or even Managers not. Most Team members, as well, believe that delegation is like a weakness or a

disgusting disease.  The biggest barrier to effective delegation is often you. Yes, YOU! 

You may think that you are the only person who can complete the job successfully.
One of the biggest barriers to delegation is the perception that you do not have enough time to either adequately explain the task or teach your team member the skills necessary for a delegated task. Even though it may take you less time to complete that task now, where does that put you the next time the task must be completed? This feeling is paradoxical, because one of the main benefits of delegation is saving time. 
Some leaders resist delegation because they don’t have faith in their team members. If this is true of you, start by taking small risks. Early successes will encourage you to delegate more. Learn to see the potential in your team and make sure that you have adequately prepared your team members for the tasks you assign. The more prepared they are, the less worried you will be.
Some people resist delegation because they believe they may delegate themselves out of their job.

Some leaders feel that if they do not complete the task, they will not get credit. You must learn to share credit with others. Don't be an iDiot, the better your team looks, the better you look. Remember, as a leader your job is to ‘think big,’ not to be bogged down in recurring tasks. Seeing others succeed because of your coaching will also be enjoyable.

The norm in our industry is partial delegation.  (Blue collars, Military, and other industries have their unique characteristics, and should not be used as a model for us.)  

There are many levels of delegation based on some of these characteristics:

  • How much and how often do you get approval before you act
  • How much and how often can you deviate from established processes
  • How much and how often do you produce reports on your actions
  • How much and how often do you copy your manager on emails
  • How much and how often do project reviews take place

In general, I suggest the following to start a relationship between manager and subordinate:

  • Get approval before you act on any major matters and decisions you know your manager wants to review.
  • We are in DevOps where process is king.  Please let your manager know if/when you plan to deviate from any established processes.  Typically it needs be documented with an email, sometimes copied to the COO as well.  You need to be careful about even small matters.  (e.g. the MTP or your manager ask you to put things in folder A, you thought it is OK to put in folder B.  Please get approval, or at least notify the managers and directors, when you make even small deviations--as it may have big consequences that you may not be privy of.)
  • Report at least when you finish, and when you receive work or data from outside the organisation.  Keep regular reports coming, at least weekly.
  • Always copy email to your manager and other stakeholders, in addition to the target audience. That's the case even when they know and authorize the email. Why? Because once set that way, when others reply to the email, they will similarly be copied, and may take action where needed. In other words, you need to think ahead when selecting people to copy on email!
  • Hold at least the minimal reviews specified by our DevOps process.  i.e. phase 3 readiness review, impact assessment review, peer reviews, etc. When in doubt, hold more reviews to be sure issues are taken care of.

Managers and subordinates in DevOps alike, please understand the principles of partial delegation and act accordingly.

Some of your team members may feel that they are already putting in extra time for your team’s project. This may be true, so make sure that you are fairly dividing tasks between yourself and all of your team members. If everyone feels overworked, you will have to explain that in order to get the job done, everyone needs to put forth the extra effort.
If you understand why your team members have trouble accepting delegated tasks, you can help them realize the benefits in delegation for both of you. Once they begin to succeed, they will be more willing to take on additional responsibilities that you delegate.


Some of your team members may be afraid that they will fail to accomplish the tasks you delegate. Like the committee chair of the senior retreat, give your teammates adequate support and encouragement. Explain to them that you will be monitoring their progress and giving them feedback in order to correct any mistakes before they become serious problems.

In order to have a successful team, everyone must be flexible and open to delegation. Emphasize the importance of the task and the benefits it will produce. Let them know that their strengths and skills are important to the completion of the task and the success of your team.

Some people, especially freshmen or young students, may recognize that they do not have enough experience for the tasks that need to be completed. Do not be impatient with them for lacking experience if they have not had the opportunity to gain it. Begin by delegating simple tasks so that they will gain confidence with their success. As their skill level increases, you will be able to confidently delegate more difficult tasks to them.


Delegation, Yes... Delegation!

Certain situations may cause barriers to delegation. These situations are most often lack of resources and an unclear hierarchy. If either of these two barriers are present in your situation, make sure you remain flexible and do not blame teammates for failures out of their control.

Best Regards · Mit freundlichem Gruß · Cordialmente · 

André Vondran
Think Green! Please don’t print if it’s not necessary.
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