Middle management is the training grounds for executive leadership and it’s no secret that executive leadership has to delegate many tasks. Delegation is a skill as much as public speaking or learning new technology, it is essential. Middle management is also the level where your new managers learn how to coach their subordinates. Delegation offers managers an opportunity to learn how to coach and model.

However, many people, especially new managers, have a hard time letting other people handle work. The main objection they have is not knowing if the job is going to be done right. Often, the translation of that objection is, “I don’t know if the person is going to do it the way I would do it.” At the root of this fear is a lack of trust in your coworkers that you have to find a way to get past.

This dynamic can’t be the status quo in your company. You have to learn to delegate if you’re going to get everything done correctly and on time.

Steps To Help Middle Managers Delegate

Delegation is a teachable skill. Here are a few tips to help teach managers with how to do it appropriately and effectively.

• Delegating tasks to people means you have to trust them. Tell the person you are giving the task to that you trust them and their ability to do the job. Remember, most people will rise to the occasion.

• Give the person very clear instructions about the project and what you expect from the project. So, what does ‘ very clear’ mean? Ask yourself, do you understand your own instructions? Do you know what you want from the project?

• Set mutually agreed upon goals and deadlines. Ensure there is a system of two-way communication so the person accepting the task can approach you with any delays or problems with the project.

• Make sure you have given the correct and fair share of resources to the project. Go over the resources with the person so they know how to utilize them.

Delegation Isn’t Only About Getting The Job Done. It’s Also About Learning To Coach.

Part of the job of anybody in middle management is the selection and development of promising employees. Delegation is an ideal avenue for coaching people in their careers.

With delegation, a middle manager is forced to select the right person for a job by assessing their work output and ethic. Then they have to explain the project and get a grasp if the person understands it. Finally, they get the chance to coach the person through the task until completion.

By completing these tasks, middle management gets the opportunity not only to learn how to delegate but how to also coach. Setting your team up for success by providing adequate training and frontloading, which will ease your mind and help you to trust the delegation process.

Equal Parts Consulting has extensive experience in the selection and training of middle management. We work with many businesses in a variety of industries, if you are in the process of selecting people for middle management, we encourage you to contact us and learn how we can add value to your selection process.