Delegation is great. Giving up control, philosophy and initial concept, however, is not. In marketing, delegation is often critical to execution, but it’s also where results can start to break down. So, where is the disconnect that leads to this breakdown?

Delegation, as a concept, is fairly simple. You hand over a task or job for another individual to carry out. But, in order for delegation to work, the people that are being delegated to may require the same understanding as you do of the situation, as well as the goals and objectives. It seems obvious that the person delegated to should KNOW what they are doing before doing it, but the delegation failure is a recurring and often troubling issue that I hear about far too often. So what is going wrong?

Delegation can be dictatorial – and sometimes that is appropriate. But in today’s world of collaboration and empowerment, successful delegation may take just a little more time in order to create the results you desire. If you want delegated tasks carried out properly, often you may have to first make a concerted effort to connect with the other person to make sure that they see things from your perspective.

When delegating, do you give all the information needed? Personally I know that I don’t always take the time to give all the details and background about a project. I have assumed that my staff knows or can figure out the rest of the story. Five more minutes used to explain the project may have given them all the information they needed. Sometimes I forgo the five minutes and spend 20 minutes of frustration and another 60 minutes of time cleaning up what wasn’t done. And, it was my fault, not theirs.

So if you are having issues when you delegate, try taking those extra five minutes. Explain any goals, expectations and background information that could be helpful in having the task(s) completed the right way the first time. Give it a try, and you may find that you experience more successful delegation.