Leading So People Will Follow

How to Share Power Well

In another book of mine, Growing Great Employees, I devote an entire chapter to the art and practice of delegation, and I invite you to read it if this is an area where you know you need improvement. I’ve created a more condensed version of our delegation model in this section that offers the basic skills for more effectively sharing power and authority.

First, a definition is important. In my mind, delegation means transferring to an employee the responsibility for an area of work. It’s not just assigning tasks. This transfer may be quick or gradual, depending on the employee’s experience and learning style, and the area of work may be large or small. It may also be a permanent transfer, as with a promotion or a new job ...