The shift from a ‘do’ to a ‘get done’ mentality is a big one and an essential part of becoming a delegator. Staying in the get done, rather than the do, mindset is a habit as well as a skill. Reverting to a ‘doing’ frame of mind means that one sinks into the detail of sweating the small stuff, head down, hard at work. Being responsible for getting things done, is different: it means facilitating others to do the work through recruitment, selection, training, coaching, follow up and feedback.

There are many analogies I could slip in here: conductor of an orchestra, ballet teacher, football manager, baseball coach. They all have one thing in common: they are not in the limelight, their team does the work that gets noticed, they may get shared credit for the results but they don't (visibly) play an instrument, pirouette, kick a ball or make a run, but they do help to make it all happen.

The mindset of a delegator keeps this in mind and stays off the pitch. It's the only way they can see the whole game. But without getting all lofty about it, delegation is not about dumping or abdicating responsibility; knowing what team members do and go through to achieve it is important. It's the way that improvements and change happen. Striking the balance is an interesting debate and I have no answer because I believe at any point the most senior manager can be thrown back into the thick of it when required. Maintaining the helicopter/bigger picture or strategic view, however, is what differentiates them from the team around them.

And this takes time, effort, energy, respect and understanding and, I think, a dose of humility. I'm often thrown back into the arguably ‘more junior’ roles that exist in my businesses. I've done my fair share of serving in shops, pricing products and services, handling calls, sorting out IT issues, sourcing (well, all kinds of stuff), setting up processes, sending emails, setting up spreadsheets or whatever. The fact is that it is a team effort and it is also important to at least have an understanding of the principles of what is required if one is intending to manage, give feedback on or critique the work of another. I don't have an answer on how deep this knowledge should go as a blanket response because it varies according to the roles, responsibilities and requirements of a given business or organization. Naturally, in some instances one recruits others for their expertise and so cannot ‘do’ their job per se, but as a manager they need to be able to manage to ensure the work gets done.

We all, as delegators, will find our level, but I love this role, which – to be honest – I only found existed very recently, that of a ‘swing’ in a theatre production. I quote here with kind courtesy of a website called playbill.com and Wikipedia.

Swing, a term in musical theatre for an understudy who prepares several roles.

Wikipedia

‘Swings’ are vital positions in the cast of a Broadway musical. They need to be able to step into any one of a number of roles at a moment's notice. You can only imagine the amount of hard work and dedication it takes to prepare for a role on Broadway. Now multiply that by, say, a dozen roles and you get an idea of what it's like to be a swing.

Consider it an understudy of sorts. A swing's role is to fill in for a member of the ensemble when he or she is out of a show.

Playbill.com

In a sense of reverse delegation, this is a role that is both ‘superior’ and ‘inferior’ in the traditional or managerial sense. Inferior in that the swing picks up other roles that others can't do but superior in that they have a very wing-side role and ability to see the contribution that everyone makes to the whole show. Great delegators can still find themselves in this position, capable of doing every role in the team but staying offstage nonetheless. Their potential weakness is their strength, their ability and therefore the temptation to step in, take over and micro manage as a result of the blessing of their knowledge.

Contrast this with the role of a film director, often not trained to be an actor (or indeed any other role within film production) and one sees a different approach to ‘delegation’. The director cannot or at least is unlikely to pick up an acting role – or any other. In fact, in the words of one director worthy of any acting role (Richard Attenborough) as quoted by another class act (Anthony Hopkins) and somewhat paraphrased here, ‘You are the actor and I trust you to do that as that is the contract you have signed, but if you can't do it, then it has to be goodbye.’

My point is that, however one arrives at it, from whatever background or experience, the delegation mindset is common regardless; it is one of allowing and facilitating others to get the work done while retaining responsibility for their actions and appropriate credit for their performance.

Delegation and mistakes

If we agree that we learn from our mistakes then in delegating we need to accept that of others too. Ouch.

There are many one-liners and quotes out there about how it's okay to make mistakes and that's how we learn etc. It is very true, and, as already mentioned, the fear of things going wrong is also a barrier to delegation happening at all, let alone happening effectively. My favourite quote, though, comes from Rupert Everett on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, he said, ‘Failure is the manure from which we grow.’ I like that. In terms of delegation, it means we have to expect and allow that those to whom we delegate at times will make mistakes, as we will, and we have to be ready not only to react to those errors, sub-standards and seconds going out (if not in our name then at least under our brand) and to be supportive, constructive and progressive in dealing with them and the circumstances that result.

This also affects deciding why, what, who and how one delegates. It means that one has to consider what could go wrong (possibly by virtue of history and experience), what one might put in place to mitigate the possibility and the consequences of mistakes that do slip through and the actions required as a result. This is all part of the time that delegation takes, because none of this can happen and be perfect overnight, and it is also why time remains the biggest barrier to delegation.

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