Delegating is different from dumping

Hello, I am Mitsunori Kimura, an expert in Smile Engineering. Please see this article for more on "Smile Engineering."

Last time, I wrote an article about not labeling people as "incompetent."

The point was that when people fail to produce results, we need to look not only at their individual ability and motivation, but also at the mechanisms of placement, roles, information, training, and dialogue.

There is one more thing that business owners and managers need to consider.

That is, are we truly
properly "delegating" the work?

"I delegated it, but it hasn't progressed at all."
"I want them to think and act for themselves."
"They can't do anything unless I tell them in detail."

I think you may have felt this way before.

However, did you really delegate that work?

Perhaps, along with the work, you are just
pushing ambiguity and hesitation onto the other person.

Dumping means passing on the hesitation as well

For example, suppose you tell a subordinate,
"Please make the meeting materials for next week look good."

With just this, the other person has to guess many things on their own.

What is the meeting for?
Who will read it?
What do you want them to decide?
How detailed should it be?
When and in what format should it be submitted?
Should they check in along the way?
Should they follow past materials or think of something new?

The person who made the request might have a finished version in their head.

However, if you demand results without conveying that,
the other person will be searching for an invisible correct answer.

And then, for the materials they worked hard to create,

"That's not what I meant."
"Why did you make it this way?"
"I wanted you to think about it more."

If you say things like that, they will gradually become afraid to think for themselves.

Dumping is not the same as handing over a task. It is
pushing the lack of decision-making material and the ambiguity of responsibility onto the other person
.

To delegate is to provide the material needed to make decisions

What is necessary when delegating work is
not to instruct every single detailed step.

It is to provide the information necessary for the other person to make their own decisions.

For example, in the case of the meeting materials mentioned earlier,

If you say, "This is material for the management meeting next week to decide whether to continue the new business. Please summarize the sales forecast, required investment, and main risks on one A4 sheet for the executives. Please provide the basis for the figures and show me the outline by noon on Thursday," the other person can understand what they should aim for.

Once you have conveyed this much, you leave the structure and expression to them.
I think this is what it means to delegate.

Delegating does not mean deciding all the steps,
nor does it mean leaving someone alone without saying anything.

It is about sharing the purpose and criteria for judgment, and allowing the person to think within that scope
is it not?

Are you demanding results without granting authority?

Even if you think you have delegated work, there are times when you have not granted the necessary authority.

You need to confirm with the client, but you are not allowed to contact them.
You need to coordinate with other departments, but you do not have the authority to request it.
You need a budget, but it has not been decided how much you can spend.
You are asked to make a decision, but you need your boss's approval every time you decide something.

In this situation, even if they try to act on their own, they cannot.

Even so,
"I want you to have more initiative"
if you are told this, the person will be troubled.

Initiative is not something that is born from feelings alone.

It is something that can only be demonstrated when there is information to make decisions on one's own, a certain amount of discretion, and an environment where one can consult when necessary.

If you are going to delegate, clarify the scope of delegation.
Tell them what they are allowed to decide for themselves.
Decide who to consult when they are in trouble.
Do not blame them more than necessary when they fail.

You need to provide these conditions along with the task.

Checking is not the same as not trusting

Some people think that since they have delegated, they should not interfere until the end.

However, delegating is different from neglecting.
If it is a long-term task, you need to check the direction along the way.

If you check at the stage when the first 10% is done,
it will only require minor corrections.
If you find out that the purpose was different after it is completed,
both the person and the organization will lose a significant amount of time.

The important thing is to ensure that progress checks do not become surveillance or fault-finding.

Do not just check if things are "not delayed."

Check things like
"Is there anything you are stuck on?"
"Do you have all the necessary information?"
"Have the premises changed?""Is there anything I can do to support you?"

Ask these questions.

What is needed after delegating is not surveillance.

It is to keep a point of contact open where they can feel comfortable asking for advice.

The same applies when delegating to AI

This is not just about when you delegate work to people.

It is exactly the same when you delegate work to generative AI.

"Please create a good project proposal."
"Please analyze the company's issues."
"Please write copy that sells."

If you only make requests like these, you will tend to get generic and harmless answers.

What is it being used for?
Who is the intended reader?
What does our company value?
What information should be used?
What must not be done?
What does a finished state look like?

By providing these premises, or context, you will finally get answers that are closer to your company's work.

However, no matter how detailed your instructions are,
you cannot pass final responsibility to AI.

Verifying the numbers created by AI.
Separating facts from speculation.
Handling personal and confidential information appropriately.
Judging whether the content is suitable for customers.
Deciding whether to ultimately adopt it.

This is human work.

Delegating to AI does not mean passing responsibility to AI.

AI helps with the work, but it cannot take on responsibility in place of the manager or the person in charge.

The same applies to requests to vendors and external talent

It is the same when requesting work from system development companies, consultants, or
side-job talent.

“Please build a system that fits our company.”
“Please create a mechanism to increase sales.”
“Please promote DX.”

Even if you make such requests, the other party cannot make decisions based on those alone.

What does the company value?
Whose problems do you want to solve, and which ones?
How much change is acceptable?
What business processes and relationships must be protected?
Which metrics will be used to confirm results?

These are things the company itself must decide.

It is important to seek the help of experts.

However, you must not outsource the question of what you want the future of your company to be
.

The more you delegate to outsiders, the more you need people within the company who can define objectives, make decisions, and take responsibility.

Five things to confirm before delegating

I believe that before delegating work, you should at least confirm the following five things.

• What is the purpose of doing this?

• What state constitutes completion?

• To what extent is the person allowed to make their own decisions?

• What are the conditions that must be protected and what are the things that must not be done?

• When and at what stages will confirmation take place?

If these are shared, it becomes easier for the other party to think for themselves.
There is no need to give detailed instructions for everything.
Rather, clarifying the purpose and boundaries, and then delegating how to proceed within those limits, is what develops people.

How you delegate reveals how you view people

The act of delegating reveals how an organization views its people.

Do you want them to act exactly as instructed to avoid failure, or do you want them to grow into people who can think for themselves while allowing for some trial and error?

No one can do things perfectly from the start.
People grow by being entrusted with slightly difficult tasks, thinking, consulting, failing, and reflecting.
However, just because it is for growth does not mean you should leave them to fend for themselves.

To delegate is to trust people.
At the same time, it is taking on the responsibility of supporting them yourself.

Before concluding that
“I cannot delegate to that person”
when results are not achieved,
we need to reflect on whether we provided the necessary objectives, information, authority, and support.

“Delegation” as Smile Engineering

The “Smile Engineering” I advocate is about thinking of the state in which people can demonstrate their abilities as a system, rather than as a matter of emotion.

Refining how we delegate is one part of that.

Not knowing what is required.
Being blamed if you fail.
Having no authority to make decisions.
Not being able to consult when in trouble.
Having to redo everything after completion.

It is unreasonable to expect people to work proactively in such an environment.

Conversely, in a workplace where the purpose is clear, there is a certain level of discretion, one can consult along the way, and one's own ingenuity leads to results, people can feel a sense of fulfillment in their work.

The job of managers and executives is not to do everything themselves.
It is to create a state where people can use their own strengths to contribute to the organization's goals.

Summary

Delegating is different from dumping work.

Dumping work means shifting your own tasks to someone else and pushing your confusion and responsibilities onto them as well.
Delegating means providing the purpose, decision-making criteria, authority, and support so that the other person can think for themselves.

And, not running away from final responsibility.

Whether delegating to people, AI, or external experts, the essence remains the same.

Why are you delegating?
What are you expecting?
How much are you delegating?
What will you continue to take responsibility for yourself?

You need to clarify these points.

Dumping work reduces your own workload.
Delegating increases the organization's power.

Before deciding that someone “cannot do it,” we should re-examine whether we ourselves were truly able to delegate.

Thank you for reading until the end.

If you found this article even a little bit good, please press the “♡” button to support me! You can press it even if you don't have a note account, so please feel free to do so! A picture of me smiling will appear (lol).

Of course, I would be even happier if you follow me or provide feedback. Thank you!