Leaders who delegate badly do not delegate too little: they delegate vaguely. Their colleague does not know whether to propose, decide or simply carry out. At the first deviation, the leader takes everything back, and everyone concludes that delegation does not work.
The five-level scale
- Level 1: you observe and report the facts to me.
- Level 2: you propose options, I decide.
- Level 3: you decide, but talk to me before acting.
- Level 4: you decide and act, and tell me afterwards.
- Level 5: it is your topic, I do not need to hear about it.
How to use it
For each topic you hand over, state the level, out loud and in writing. Start lower than you think, then move up one level every three or four weeks if all goes well.
What changes everything: when something goes wrong, you drop down one level, you do not take everything back. Your colleague keeps the topic, and the leader keeps their time.
