Not all delegations are equal. Hence, whenever you delegate work, it is important to remove ambiguity and set clear expectations for all parties concerned.
One of the good frameworks to think about this is called “Five Levels of Delegation”, from author Michael Hyatt‘s book “Free to Focus“:
Level 1: Do Exactly What I Say (Just Execute)
Level 2: Research and Report (Tell me what you found)
Level 3: Research and Recommend (Tell me what you think)
Level 4: Decide and Inform (Tell me what you are going to do)
Level 5: Act Independently (I trust you. Run the show. Good Luck.)
Sometimes, you may start in Level 1 and go up. But, it is not mandatory. Depending on the task, delegatee’s skills and the existing trust between the delegatee and the delegator, we can skip some steps and start at a higher level too.
Interestingly, Level 5 may be the most difficult for many delegators. But that’s what sets you free for a higher level.
