Not all delegations are equal. Hence, whenever you delegate work, it is important to remove ambiguity and set clear expectations for all parties concerned.

One of the good frameworks to think about this is called “Five Levels of Delegation”, from author Michael Hyatt‘s book “Free to Focus“:

Level 1: Do Exactly What I Say (Just Execute)

Level 2: Research and Report (Tell me what you found)

Level 3: Research and Recommend (Tell me what you think)

Level 4: Decide and Inform (Tell me what you are going to do)

Level 5: Act Independently (I trust you. Run the show. Good Luck.)

Sometimes, you may start in Level 1 and go up. But, it is not mandatory. Depending on the task, delegatee’s skills and the existing trust between the delegatee and the delegator, we can skip some steps and start at a higher level too.

Interestingly, Level 5 may be the most difficult for many delegators. But that’s what sets you free for a higher level.

Every day, we make hundreds of tiny, small, medium, large and extra large decisions. These decisions determine the direction our professional or personal life is headed.

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos famously classified them as One-way door decisions and Two-way door decisions. As the name suggests, One-way door decisions are irreversible and Two-way door decisions are not. Hence, he asks us to think about the type of decision in advance so that we give it the right amount of brain power and move ahead with confidence.

Author and habits, personal development expert James Clear recently proposes a similar classification for decisions: hats, haircuts and tattoos:

• Hats are easy to try, easy to remove, easy to try another. Some decisions are like this and you don’t have to think too much about them. It is a Two-way door decision.
• Haircuts, when gone wrong, are not easy to remove. So, you may have to struggle for a few days. But, eventually, you get another opportunity to get it right. It is also a Two-way door decision. But the return path is slightly difficult.
• Tattoos, at least the permanent ones, are the One-way door decisions which you need to live with for life. So, James Clear asks us to move slow, think carefully before moving ahead.

How do you analyze your decisions (before, during or after)? Share interesting insights and best practices from your experience.