Effective delegation strategies for managerial leadership and employee development

Delegation Guide

Description of the Delegation Guide

At the center of all successful leadership and management strategies is the need for creating a consistent strategy of delegation that permeates the firm. The role of delegation often is defined in the context or perspective of managers according to their dominant leadership style (Willis, 2007). For the managers who are highly oriented towards autocratic leadership styles, the focus is on command-and-control approaches to delegation. This does little to enable subordinates to professionally grow and gain confidence in their skills. Delegation, to be effective must strive to enable a high level of motivation on the part of subordinates. The ability to infuse tasks with autonomy, mastery and purpose assures long-term motivation and a willingness to keep learning and growing within a position (Willis, 2007). Best practices in delegation create this level of long-term motivation for a position and role in an industry.

Description of Delegation Guide

In defining the purpose of this Delegation Guide, the need for defining managerial and leadership requirements needs to be a prerequisite, followed by insights into how delegation can be accomplished effectively. The role of the manager in any delegation strategy is to move beyond a transactional leadership style to one that is more transformational and focused on a broader vision or mission of a business (Cunningham, 1979). This is especially the case with regard to the delegation of highly complex tasks that require the expertise of subordinates to complete. The need for also creating a highly effective means of tracking and ensuring consistency of expectations and execution is also critically important. The overarching goal of delegation is bring subordinates into a greater level of ownership with a given task.

The four traditional functions of management must be relied on from a structural standpoint in designing the delegation framework (Vickers, 1985). The interpretation of when each will be used however is more dependent on the level of transformational leadership abilities managers have, their Emotional Intelligence (EI) levels and capability of aligning specific tasks to specific managerial behaviors and roles (Sengul, Gimeno, Dial, 2012). This Delegation Guide will include a series of questions and tutorials specifically designed for managers to use the most appropriate delegation technique. The role of the four functions of management will also be taken into account from the standpoint of defining which type of delegation tasks(s) are best managed through a given scenario or plan. The intersection of the specific managerial role to the given task will also be captured. All of these factors taken together will ensure that the Delegation Guide will also create a solid foundation for future employee personal and professional growth (Cunningham, 1979).