In marketing, delegation is often one of the most critical factors to successful execution. However, delegation can also be the cause of results breaking down.

Delegation as a concept is fairly simple. But, in order for delegation to work, the people that are being delegated to need to have the same understanding as you do of the situation, as well as the goals and objectives. It seems obvious, but this is a recurring and often troubling issue that I see far too often.

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 on the front end in order to create the results desired. If you want delegated tasks carried out properly, often you have to first make a connection with the other person to make sure that they understand your perspective and the “why” of the project.

When delegating, do you give all the information needed? Personally I know that I haven’t always devoted the time to relay all the information and background about a project. I have assumed that my staff knows or can figure out the rest of the story. Sometimes the tendency may be to forgo the time it takes for a good initial explanation. This often causes an additional and exponential amount of time spent in frustrating clean up for what wasn’t completed properly. But whose fault is it, really? Do you think the outcome could have been different if you spent a little more time up front in the delegation process?