Levels of delegation answer one question. How much say does the other person have?
Most hand offs go wrong right there. You think you asked for a draft. They think you asked them to just get it done. Neither of you is wrong. You just never said the level.
Below is a plain ladder you can use. You will also see the two best known models, and how to pick a level for each task.
Why levels of delegation matter
When you hand off a task, you hand off two things. The work, and the right to make calls about it.
The work is easy to see. The right to decide is not. So people guess.
Some guess low. They come back to you with each small choice, and you wonder why you got help at all. Some guess high. They make a big call you would never have made, and now you have a mess.
A level ends the guess. You say it out loud, at the start. “This one is a level 3.” Now you both know.
There is no single standard
Search for this and you will find three levels, five, seven, even ten. That is because there is no one official model. Lots of people have made their own.
Two are quoted the most.
The five levels. Michael Hyatt sets out five levels of delegation on his Full Focus site. They run from doing just what you say, up to acting on their own. In between, the person looks into things and reports back. Then they bring a pick for you to OK. Then they decide and tell you after.
The seven levels. Management 3.0 uses seven levels in a team game called Delegation Poker. These are about who makes a choice in a team. At level 1 the boss decides and tells. At level 7 the team owns the call. The steps in between share the choice in different ways.
Both are good. Pick one and use it the same way each time. The words matter less than the habit.
A simple ladder of five levels
Here is one plain ladder. It has the same shape as Hyatt's, in short words. Each step gives the other person a bit more say.
- Do it this way. You give the steps. They follow them. No changes.
- Find out and tell me. They dig up the facts. You make the call.
- Pick one and check with me. They weigh the choices and bring you their pick. You say yes or no.
- Do it, then tell me. They make the call and act. Then they let you know what they did.
- It's yours. They own it. No need to check in.
Here is how that sounds in real life. Say you run a small online shop. Keep this table as your cheat sheet.
| Level | What you say | Example task |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Do it this way | Use this list. Send each one the same note. | Send the thank you notes |
| 2. Find out and tell me | Find three ways to ship and what each costs. | Look at new ways to ship |
| 3. Pick one and check | Which one should we use, and why? Ask me first. | Choose how to ship |
| 4. Do it, then tell me | Fix it as you see fit. Tell me on Friday what you did. | Sort out a late order |
| 5. It's yours | You own this now. No need to check with me. | Keep the inbox clean |
Look at what moves as you go down the table. Not the size of the job. The right to make the call.
How to pick the level for a task
Don't pick by the person alone. Pick by the person and the task as a pair. The same person can be a level 5 on email and a level 2 on prices.
Ask four questions.
- What does a slip cost? If it costs a few dollars, go higher. If it could cost a client, go lower.
- Can it be undone? A blog post can be fixed. A sent email can't. Hard to undo means a lower level.
- Have they done it before? New task, new person? Start low. Done it well ten times? Move up.
- How often does it come up? If it comes up each day, you can't sign off on each one. Teach it well, then push it up.
When in doubt, start one level lower than you think. Then move up fast once it goes well. It is much easier to give more say than to take it back.
How to use it with an assistant or a new hire
The ladder works best when both of you know it. So teach it on day one. It takes five minutes.
Name the level in each hand off. Put it in the task, the email or the chat. “Level 2. Find out and tell me by Tuesday.” It takes three seconds to write.
Say what done looks like. A level means little if they don't know the goal. Give the outcome, the limits and the date.
Set a time to check in. At levels 1 to 3 they come to you first. At level 4 they tell you after. Agree on when.
Move up on purpose. Once a task goes well a few times, say so. “You've got this one. It's a level 4 now.”
Say you hire a virtual assistant to help with your inbox. In week one, they sort the mail and flag what needs you. That's a level 1. By week three, they draft replies for you to check. That's a level 3. A few months in, they answer most mail and send you a short note each Friday. That's a level 4.
Same person. Same inbox. You just kept moving the line.
If you want to know what help like that costs, read our guide to what virtual assistant services cost.
Where delegation breaks down
- Not saying the level. This is the big one. Each side fills the gap with a guess.
- Taking it back. You say it's theirs, then undo their call. Next time they won't decide at all.
- Staying at level 1 for good. If you must OK each step, you still own the job. You just added a step.
- Jumping to level 5 too soon. Trust is built in steps. Skip them and you set the person up to fail.
- Blaming them for a fuzzy brief. If they miss, first ask if the level and the goal were clear.
Five, seven, four or ten levels?
What are the 7 levels of delegation?
The best known set of seven comes from Management 3.0. In order, they are tell, sell, consult, agree, advise, inquire and delegate. At level 1 the boss decides. At level 7 the team does.
What are the five levels of delegation?
The most quoted five come from Michael Hyatt. At the low end, you do just what you are told. Next you look into things and report back, then bring a pick to OK. Then you decide and tell after. At the top, you act on your own.
What are the four levels of delegation?
There is no one standard model with four levels. You can make your own by joining two steps of the ladder above. What counts is that you both use the same one.
What are the 10 levels of delegation?
There is no well known ten level model with a clear source. Ten steps is a lot to hold in your head. For most small teams, five is plenty.
Name the level this week
You don't need a new system. Pick one task you will hand off this week. Name the level before you send it.
Then watch the back and forth. It tends to get shorter. Not because anyone tried harder. Because you both knew the rules.
The Delegation Framework Claude Skill is built on five levels of say. They run from “wait until told” up to “decide and act.” It also helps you brief each task with the outcome, scope and limits. Would you rather pass on the work itself? Our virtual assistant services can take it.