No one person can do everything. Even if they think they can, that only shows they don’t understand themselves or their core skills,

or the tasks assigned to them. That’s why management by delegation is a temporary—and perhaps even permanent—solution that business or company owners turn to when they consider

it appropriate and necessary.

The key question to discuss here is not whether managers should delegate their authority and responsibilities to others, but when

they should do so—and what qualifications the person entrusted with a particular task should have.

We’ll try to answer some of these questions here, but first, we should briefly note that management by delegation offers many benefits,

Perhaps the most notable is that it helps employees learn and develop decision-making skills, while giving them a degree of freedom to put their ideas and perspectives into practice within the limits of

the authority granted to them.

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Delegate to the lowest acceptable level:

If you want to delegate effectively—as a project manager or business owner—you need to follow several principles. One is to delegate authority

and decision-making power to the lowest acceptable level. In other words, delegate tasks that would distract you from more important work. It makes sense to give someone

else the freedom to handle them and make whatever decisions they consider appropriate.

But don’t expect too much from the person you’ve delegated a task to. They’re not you, so they won’t go beyond what you’ve asked of them or

exceed the authority you’ve delegated to them.

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Sufficient authority:

If your goal is to achieve the best results—not merely to get tasks off your plate—you must give the person you delegate to enough

authority to meet your expectations, deliver results you’re satisfied with, and serve the company’s interests.

In other words, delegates need sufficient authority to make decisions they consider appropriate based on real events and circumstances. They are the ones who interact and work with people

and are therefore better positioned to know what is best for the company than those who think and theorize from ivory towers.

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What exactly do you expect?

When you give an employee or subordinate the authority to make a decision, clarify what you expect from the delegation and tell them what results you want to achieve;

this approach and that clarity will make it easier for them to carry out their assigned tasks within the authority granted and delegated to them.

On the other hand, this will enable you to hold those who fall short in their duties accountable, and reward those who deliver on their promises and prove

worthy of your confidence as a manager.

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Always be available:

Management by delegation does not mean that a manager hands their authority to someone and then disappears, only to reappear when it is time

for the assignment to end and start asking about the results.

Rather, this management approach means that a manager who has delegated some of their authority supports and assists those entrusted with it, providing them with the help and guidance

they need to achieve the best results.