There are basically two kinds of delegation: “gofer delegation” and “stewardship delegation.”
Gofer delegation means “Go for this, go for that, do this, do that, and tell me when it’s done.” Most people who are producers have a gofer delegation paradigm. They are the producers. They roll up their sleeves and get the job done. If they are given a position of supervision or management, they still think like producers. They don’t know how to set up a full delegation so that another person is committed to achieving results. Because they are focused on methods, they become responsible for the results.
There’s a much better way, a more effective way to delegate to other people. And it’s based on a paradigm of appreciation of self-awareness, the imagination, the conscience, and the free will of other people.
Stewardship delegation is focused on results instead of methods. It gives people a choice of method and makes them responsible for results. It takes more time in the beginning, but it’s time well invested. You can move the fulcrum over, you can increase your leverage, through stewardship delegation. Stewardship delegation involves clear, up-front mutual understanding and commitment regarding expectations in five areas.
- DESIRED RESULTS. Create a clear, mutual understanding of what needs to be accomplished, focusing on what, not how; results, not methods.
- GUIDELINES. Identify the parameters within which the individual should operate.
- RESOURCES. Identify the human, financial, technical, or organizational resources the person can draw on to accomplish the desired results.
- ACCOUNTABILITY. Set up the standards of performance that will be used in evaluating the results and the specific times when reporting and evaluation will take place.
- CONSEQUENCES. Specify what will happen, both good and bad, as a result of the evaluation.
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