Delegation vs Abdication

In our recent renovation project, the contractor brought in a new tile guy they hadn’t worked with before. Unfortunately, the guy turned out to be a complete amateur and botched the job.

This misstep was avoidable with some straightforward practices:

• Vetting thoroughly. Check their track record, skills, and references. A quick but deliberate evaluation can save a lot of headaches later.

• Clarifying expectations upfront. Make sure they understand the scope and standards of the work. A simple conversation about their approach can reveal a lot.

• Testing with small projects first. Start with low-stakes tasks to gauge their ability before handing them the keys to something bigger.

• Providing active oversight. Supervise early and often, especially at the beginning. Offer feedback and course corrections as they go.

Here’s the key principle: When you delegate, you’re not off the hook. You’re still responsible for the outcome.

If they underperform and you didn’t manage them effectively, the ripple effects will hit everyone—your customers, your business, your team, your managers, and ultimately, you.

Delegation is not abdication.

Notes:

1. Task-specific maturity matters. Someone who’s great at their job overall might not excel at every task or project. Andy Grove’s idea of "task-specific maturity" is crucial here. Match the person’s readiness to the complexity of the task.

2. You can mitigate risk, but not eliminate it. Delegation always involves some uncertainty. What you can control is the degree of short-term damage (through careful delegation) and the long-term impact (through consistent coaching and management).

3. Delegating without expertise is harder. If you’re not a domain expert, or you’re hiring someone very senior, the challenge increases. Results might take time, and your role shifts toward providing autonomy while ensuring alignment with goals.

4. Trust is earned incrementally. Autonomy grows as trust is built, but you still need to monitor outputs. Even seasoned employees operate near the edge of their competence as they grow and take on bigger responsibilities. Stay engaged to help them succeed.