How do you adjust your delegation style to different people?

Leadership style alone is an incomplete solution. You need different strategies based on what you're delegating, not just based on level of trust in the person you're delegating to. There are three types of things you delegate, and each require different strategies. Tasks - Typically within a trainable system. Goal is consistency and efficiency. Problem Solving - Generally things that fall outside of systems. You may not know how to do it. Requires learning loops and failure may be an option. Goal is innovation. Management Responsibility - Ownership for the successful management, decision-making, and outcomes related to a project or on-going concern.

SMART goals are not-so-smart for most delegation. They may be useful for Task delegation where systems are generally in place, but it can be very destructive when delegating problem-solving and sometimes management responsibilities. Problem solving is innovative work, and innovative work may not be Specific when starting out and is often not Achievable. It requires learning loops and failure may be an option.

Start with assuming good intent, regardless of who you are delegating to. That being said, understand the impact of the task being delegated, and the level of competence and history of the team member handling this task. The higher the impact, and the less competence or history the team member has for a given task, the more checkpoints you want to have along the way to audit. Be sure to give the team member references and any applicable resources so that they have what they need to succeed.

Think of delegation as a trust-building exercise with your team. Through delegation you need to be accomplishing one of two things: 1) Building trust in the capability of a person so you can delegate at higher levels and be less involved in their work. 2) If your trust isn't growing in the person, use it as a performance management tool to help the person develop the skills and judgment to perform at higher levels. Many managers get frustrated during delegation because the team isn't performing well. This causes them to lose trust. That frustration prevents well-meaning managers from using delegation as the tool to build trust and improve performance.

Delegation, both an art and a science. Effective delegation starts with you. How often have you heard a variation of "with you"? Perhaps because we tend to overlook this essential first step. If you miss this, then your delegation skills will be ineffective. Asking, listening and observing the "delegee", will grant you great insight as to the what to, when to and how to delegate. Its not difficult, yet it will take time to get to know the delegee.