Delegation

Read an article that talked about the following 7 levels of delegation:

1. "Wait and be told, or do exactly what I say" - this is the no-delegation-at-all approach.

2. "Look into this and tell me what you come up with" - this is asking for investigation and analysis but no recommendation

3. "Give me your recommendation, and other options with the pro's and con's of each. I'll let you know if you can go ahead." - Asks for analysis and recommendation, but you're going to check the thinking before deciding.

4. "Decide and let me know your decision. But wait for my go ahead." - you are signaling that your subordinate is trusted to judge the various options, but (s)he needs approval before taking action.

5. "Decide and let me know your decision. Go ahead unless I say stop." - At this level the other person is starting to control the action. This is a good timesaving increase in autonomy.

6. "Decide and take action, but let me know what you did." - Here we are saving more time. This approach allows for a quick reaction on your part if the decision made was a bad one.

7. "Decide and take action. You don't need to check with me." - At this level you are giving your subordinate the most freedom possible. It demonstrates a high level of confidence in them. Ensure you have good controls in place to flag any mistakes before they can become a major hassle.

I have always found delegation to be a tough thing to do, I think it is more of an art, that some people have inherently and some people need to learn over a period of time. Wondering which level I fall in. I seem to be prefering a combination of 2 and 3 - but then again - I am still learning the art!