As coaches we are frequently asked to do a 360 assessment interview process for our new client. This usually involves talking with the client’s manager, peers, team members and HR partner. During one of these interviews, I was speaking with the head of Legal about his peer (my client) and he made the distinction between delegation and authorization.
What he was referring to is who “owns” the activities in question.
In delegation, we commonly feel that the delegatee “owns” the activities. We expect that work will proceed appropriately to produce the desired result within an expected time frame.
But when we compare delegation and authorization we see that the delegator is still the “owner,” and the delegatee doesn’t fully own the work. This is why the delegator usually exercises a certain amount of oversite to be sure things are on course and on time.
Authorization has a different feel and actual meaning. Here we fully delegate without keeping “ownership of the process.” We are, of course, still responsible for that portion of work, but the completion of work is expected to be done properly and on time without our intervention.
If we need any feedback, it might just be a heads-up that it’s done. Perhaps that may not even be needed.
The trust and freedom that comes from authorization is worth all the effort it takes to get our team to the level of authorizing them.
This is why development of your team is so important. When we know we can trust that work will be done well, we can authorize with confidence. This allows us to focus our attention on doing the work that only we can do as the manager, which is where our focus should be.
Some of what I’ve noticed as a coach has been how managers seem to want to continue to just delegate, as it keeps them more in touch with and focused on the day to day work.
If you find yourself doing this, check your assumptions about what’s happening and see where you might do more authorizing. You will then be able to focus more of your attention on higher priorities that can create better impacts for the organization and for your career.
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To learn more about delegation and executive coaching, reach out to Steve for a consultation.