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The “Who” and “What” of Delegation

So, to whom should you delegate responsibilities and authority? It is probably the most important question you will ask yourself in preparing to delegate.

Yet when it comes to authority and responsibility, you’re accountable for both. And that’s why it is crucial for you to delegate both carefully. When delegating authority, you want to choose someone with experience, knowledge, maturity, and good interpersonal skills who is loyal and committed to the vision you’ve established for the team or project. In short, it should certainly be someone you trust, both in competency and character.

However, when delegating responsibilities, you’ll likely need someone with the right skills and knowledge for a specific task or set of tasks. Experience, loyalty, and commitment may not always be absolute necessities when delegating responsibilities alone. In other words, you may only need to trust the employee’s technical competency. But interpersonal skills may not play an important role in the task.

Regardless, however, whether you are delegating responsibilities or authority, you must trust that the person will follow all ethical, legal, and company policies. Successful delegation has no room for renegades. After all, you are accountable in the end.