Think back to the last time you gave someone a task. Maybe you explained it quickly before a meeting. Maybe it was a late-night chat message. Maybe you scribbled it down on a sticky note.
Then a week later, the result wasn’t what you expected. The person said, “I thought you meant this.” You said, “No, that’s not what I asked for.” Both of you were right—in your own minds.
The problem wasn’t laziness. It wasn’t even skill. It was memory. Verbal agreements vanish faster than smoke.
Delegation fails most often not because people don’t try, but because they don’t remember—or never agreed in the same way to begin with.
That’s why documenting is not bureaucracy. It’s insurance.
The Power of a One-Page Contract
In The Delegation Game, I introduced the idea of the Delegation Contract. Don’t imagine a thick legal file. Think of it as a simple one-pager, written in plain language, capturing what both sides agreed to:
- What “done” looks like (the one-line result statement).
- Boundaries that must be respected.
- Authority and resources granted.
- Check-in schedule.
- Deadline.
It’s not about mistrust. It’s about clarity.
Think of it like a pilot’s checklist. Planes don’t fly because pilots “remember everything.” They fly because critical steps are written down and followed every single time.
Delegation deserves the same respect. Writing it down doesn’t slow you down. It prevents you from crashing.
A Story of Things Left Unwritten
Miguel, a project manager, once told his assistant to “get the client presentation ready.” That was all.
In his head, ready meant a slide deck with updated numbers, new graphics, and a polished summary page. In her head, ready meant copying last quarter’s deck, adding the new logo, and formatting it neatly.
The day of the meeting, Miguel opened the slides and felt his stomach drop. Nothing was as he pictured. The client noticed. The pitch stumbled.
The assistant felt crushed: “You told me it just had to be ready.” Miguel felt betrayed: “I thought you knew what I meant.”
One missing page of documentation cost them both credibility.
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How a Simple Page Changes Everything
Now imagine the same situation, but with a Delegation Contract:
- Done Statement: “This presentation is done when the latest sales numbers are included, competitor slides are updated, and a one-page executive summary is added.”
- Boundaries: “Use only approved company graphics; do not commit to new pricing.”
- Authority: “You may request data directly from Finance.”
- Check-in: “Send me a draft by Wednesday for review.”
- Deadline: “Final deck ready by Friday 2 p.m.”
Notice what happens. There’s no room for assumption. No space for silent disappointment. Both parties can see the same picture.
This single page is not paperwork. It’s peace of mind.
The Forgotten Step That Builds Leaders
But even when tasks are documented, another piece is often skipped: the debrief.
Most managers hand over a task, get it back, say thanks (or grumble), and move on. The cycle repeats, mistakes included.
The debrief is where growth actually happens. It’s the space to ask four simple questions together:
- Facts: What happened? What was delivered?
- Feelings: How did you feel during the task? Confident? Stuck? Unsupported?
- Fixes: What could we do differently next time?
- Future: Based on this, what’s the next step you’re ready for?
Without this step, people repeat errors. With it, they accelerate.
In The Delegation Game I wrote:
“Delegation without debriefing is recycling. You’re not building capability; you’re just re-running the same tape.”
The Cost of Skipping the Debrief
Take Nina, a marketing officer. Her manager kept giving her campaign tasks. She finished them, but no one ever sat down to discuss what worked or what didn’t.
Months passed. She kept making the same small errors—typos in reports, weak vendor follow-ups, unclear slides. Her manager grew frustrated: “Why does she never improve?”
The truth: no one gave her the space to learn from mistakes. No feedback, no reflection, no upgrade.
When debriefs are skipped, employees don’t stagnate because they lack talent. They stagnate because no one ever pressed pause to talk about growth.
When Debrief Becomes a Launchpad
Now imagine the opposite. After a campaign, the manager sits with Nina:
- “Here’s what I liked about your vendor coordination—it kept us on schedule.”
- “Here’s one area to improve—your report needs more visual clarity. Let’s walk through an example together.”
- “For next time, I think you’re ready to handle a bigger campaign with more autonomy.”
That 20-minute conversation transforms the experience. Nina leaves with clarity, confidence, and a sense that she’s growing, not just grinding.
Debrief isn’t a post-mortem. It’s a launchpad.
Why These Steps Multiply Your Leadership
Documenting ensures clarity in the present. Debriefing ensures growth for the future. Together, they prevent the two biggest killers of delegation:
- Assumption – when you think you agreed but actually didn’t.
- Repetition – when mistakes keep happening because no one pauses to learn.
When you use both, you not only protect today’s results—you also prepare tomorrow’s leaders.
The Shift That Matters
Delegation is not a one-time transaction. It’s a cycle of clarity and growth.
- Documenting captures the agreement and prevents misunderstanding.
- Debriefing captures the learning and prevents recycling mistakes.
That’s how delegation stops being a frustration and starts becoming a system.
Your Move This Week
Try this two-part exercise:
- Pick one task you’ll delegate. Write a simple Delegation Contract—one page, five sections. Share it with your team member.
- After completion, run a short debrief. Use the four questions: facts, feelings, fixes, future.
Notice how much smoother the process feels. Notice how your delegate grows right in front of you.
What’s Next in the Delegation Game
By now, you’ve defined the result, set boundaries, given authority, and opened doors with resources. You’ve also documented and debriefed.
The final move is cultural: turning delegation from a manager’s skill into a team habit. In the coming articles, we’ll explore how to stop reverse delegation, how to make delegation part of your team’s DNA, and how to turn everyday tasks into training grounds for leaders.
When you document and debrief, you’re not just finishing projects. You’re upgrading people. And that’s the real victory of delegation.
