The ability to delegate effectively is one of the keys to successful leadership.  Whether you are trying to manage a multi-million dollar company or a family, the degree to which you can effectively engage others to carry out tasks is a good indicator of how successful you’ll be. 

One of the biggest obstacles to delegating isn't necessarily motivating others, though, it’s communicating accurately what needs to be done.  Anytime you have a project in your head that needs to be shared with someone else, there is a chance that either you won’t explain it well or that they won’t understand it.  Fear of this miscommunication, and its attendant headaches, prevents many of us from attempting to delegate in the first place.  This is why so many people try to do everything themselves, or simply don’t take action on their ideas which would require outside help. 

One simple and powerful tool to prevent miscommunication when delegating is to have the delegatee repeat back the task.  After you assign the work to someone, ask the person (or persons) to repeat what they think they are supposed to do – the activity, the result, the deadline, the reasoning.  It can be as simple as:

“I just want to make sure that I did a good job of communicating what the task is.  Could you run through what you think needs to be done – and what results we want to see.”

That’s it.  Very simple, but very powerful.  In the above example, you are not asking them to repeat the information because you don’t trust them (which avoids the “I think you are an idiot, so repeat what I want you to do and I’ll point out your mistakes” mentality).   You are taking responsibility up front for the integrity of the communication. 

Doing this in the beginning of the process takes a little extra time, but it prevents time– and energy–consuming mistakes down the line.  It also heads off the negative feelings that come up when mistakes are made through miscommunication.  It allows everyone to be on the proverbial “same page”.  This way, you can expand your influence without having to do more work yourself – and that’s the definition of a great leader.

Happy delegating!