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Effective Delegating is easy using a couple of simple techniques.


Without effective delegating, you are going to struggle with results.  Once you don't get the results you want when delegating tasks, You immediately say, "I have to do everything myself!"  Not so!  

Effective Delegating

You must spell out the task in very simple terms in a very specific 5 component format.

The following is the format to creating a Tasking Statement for effective delegating:

Who:  State who is doing the task.  Is this task being assigned to an individual, a team, an organization…?

What:  Write down what you want them to accomplish without telling them “how”.  The how comes with implied guidance from your Leader’s Vision Statement. 

When: Put here when a time frame is necessary.  This can be expresses as a specific time and date (11:30 on the 28th of March) when the task has to be done at a specific time and date.  An example might be a setting up a meeting room.  The “when can also be given as a no-later-than date.  This is used when the task has to be done before a certain date, but completing the task before that date is okay.

Where: (Optional) Put here where your task applies.  Examples:  In the conference room, in Michigan, in the United States, In North America, in the world….

And Lastly,

Why:  Why are doing this task in the first place? What is the purpose?

You might delegating the planning of booth at the upcoming trade show to your sales staff.

The Tasking Statement for effective delegating might be:

Sales Team (Who), I need you to come up with a plan for our booth at the upcoming trade show (What) at the Spectum (where) by the 12th of June (When).   So that we can get the plan to marketing in time for the preparations (why).  

Note: You did not tell him "how" to do it.  That should be up to Them. If they are empowered employee, it is up to them how to do it, plus,

The "why" allows him to be proactive and empowered when conducting the task.  If they have a question on a particular resource, they can go and check with marketing, not you.  These are key to effective delegating.

If I gave myself a mission for writing my book, Corporate Infantry: Everything I know about Corporate Sales I learner in Combat, it would have looked something like this:

Fred SaintAmour (Who) is tasked with writing a book (What) by June 2008 (When), at his home office (Where), to provide sales leaders the information they need to increase sales in the organization (why). 

Pretty simple to create a Tasking Statement for effective delegating, right? Keep going because

  Here is where your effective delegating becomes powerful!!!


The next step is to provide your Leader’s Vision Statement.

Your Leaders Vision Statement must be crafted to allow subordinates sufficient flexibility in accomplishing their assigned tasks.  It must provide a vision of those conditions that the Leader wants to see after the desired outcome is reached. 

Warren G Bennis is quoted saying, 'Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.'  Your Leader's Vision Statement is that vision.

It is your Leaders Vision Statement that empowers subordinates to make decisions once they are forced to deviate from the plan or when you are unavailable for guidance. Effective delegating depends on this.

A Leaders Vision should be purpose-based and provide the “golden rule” for which your people make decisions and guide them on which actions to take.  A Leader's Vision Statement paints a picture of the end result of what you are trying to accomplish, and spells out the “Why” or “Purpose” of what you are trying to accomplish.

Again your Leaders Vision Statement
should never spell out the “how”. 


The “how” is up to your empowered employees and planners.

To create your Leader's Vision Statement, write down five to seven elements that describe your desired end state? 

The Leader's Vision:  I want to create such a commotion and buzz around our booth that both the attendees and the other exhibitors will be awe struck.  The theme should entrench our brand into the minds of our prospects and result in at least 300 warm leads of our ideal clients.  All sales people should participate in the trade show, and the trade show effort should not be too big of a distraction to our daily sales efforts.  The project needs to come in at or below budget.

Do you see the difference between just setting up another booth at another trade show, and what you just created with your Leaders Vision Statement?  Do you see how using this will lead to effective delegating?

With your Leader's Vision Statement everyone knows what success means.

    Your booth will create a buzz
    Your branding should be at the forefront
    You will have 300 warm leads
    All sales people participate
    Should not be too disruptive to daily sales
    Must come in at budget.

Do you also see the potential innovations that might be created by this simple paragraph?

The most important thing is that you did not tell them how to do it?  They are empowered and intelligent employees.  They can come up with the “how”. 

If they ever have a question whether or not they should do something, all they should have to do is look to the Leader’s Vision Statement for the answer. 

Use the Tasking Statement format, paint a picture of the end result with your Leaders Vision Statement, don’t tell “how”, and you will have a very effective delegating with great results.




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