Can You Empower Through Delegation?

Profile Picture of Post's Author Charlene McLauchlan | Posted September 8, 2021

Last week, Matt Heemstra reminded us that “delegation needs to be just as much about the person you are delegating to as it is about you.”

How can you make it about the person? I am a big believer in using Clifton Strength Finders as a foundation for team culture. The Clifton Strengths assessment measures the presence of talent in 34 general areas that are most directly related to the potential for success. Everyone on the team has taken the assessment and we keep a team grid posted as a reminder of what themes are dominant in members.

Everyone has a specific personal development plan that includes investing in their strengths to achieve certain goals. When a project or task comes up, I review the team grid and the various development plans before deciding on who might be good to take over the project. I can position the delegated task/project as a win-win situation.

Strength Finders isn’t magic, if it is going to be foundational to the team culture, it is key to discuss any challenges and opportunities through the Strength Finders Theme lens.  There is not an “ideal” strength profile for any specific role. People deliver the same outcomes using different behaviors. Research by the Gallup organization has found that employees who received strengths-based development were found to have up to 18% increased performance.

So back to the title, can you empower people through delegation:

  • yes, if you base the delegation on the person’s strengths
  • yes, if you allow them to figure out how they will accomplish the project (no micro-managing)
  • yes, if you communicate clearly – the purpose, the timeline and any other expectations
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