Delegation
Delegation needs an outcome, authority, and a check-in
By Jon Orozco · Companion to The Delegation Field Manual
“Please handle the office move” sounds like delegation. It can still leave every spending decision, exception, and deadline question on your desk. The handoff needs enough structure for another person to own the result.
Name the result people can recognize
“Everyone can work by nine on Monday” describes an outcome. “Book movers and pack supplies” describes tasks. Both can be useful, but the person receiving the work needs to know which result they are responsible for and how it will be checked.
Confirm the person has the skill, time, and information the work requires. A first attempt may need teaching and review. Handing over a task the night before it is due without support can create a miss that looks like evidence against delegation.
Give authority a boundary
Say which decisions the person can make and what must come back for approval. For the move, that might include a confirmed spending limit and the point at which a delay needs to be raised. Use limits you are actually authorized to grant.
Tell the people affected who owns the work. Authority that exists only in a private conversation can be ignored by everyone else. The announcement should explain the boundary without taking the work back into your own hands.
Agree on exceptions and review
Set a check-in that fits the risk and experience of the person doing the work. State what would require an earlier escalation and what information to bring. A scheduled review and an exception route reduce the need for constant permission.
If a draft needs repair, coach the gap and agree on the next attempt. Automatically rewriting everything yourself restores the old dependency. Review whether the result, authority, facts, or support were unclear before concluding that the person cannot own it.
Try it this week
Rewrite one recurring assignment as an outcome. Add the decision boundary, necessary support, first check-in, and exception route.
General educational guidance. Examples are fictional. Follow approved workplace processes and use qualified support for real cases.
Keep practicing with The Delegation Field Manual
Hand over an outcome, the authority to deliver it, and a clear route for exceptions.
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