{"id":6239,"date":"2019-10-25T18:13:57","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T22:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=6239"},"modified":"2025-07-14T21:38:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T21:38:48","slug":"delegation-boomerang-faq","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Delegation Boomerang FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>1. Is taking the work back ever the right answer?<\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes, yes! If the project is really in trouble\u2014and failure will have a serious impact\u2014you should intervene. Here are some questions to help you make the determination and learn from the experience:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What&#8217;s the risk? Can our org\/team handle or recover if we don&#8217;t get a 10\/10 on the project?<\/li>\n<li>Might failure actually help my staff\/team grow in the long term?<\/li>\n<li>Is there a way to intervene without taking the project back (e.g., a light lift approach\u2014like working on it side-by-side to build skills, or more structured feedback or instructions)?<\/li>\n<li>If I do take it back, how can I build skill-building into the debrief so it doesn&#8217;t happen again?<\/li>\n<li>What is <em>my<\/em> role in the breakdown and how can I grow from it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Are there any equity implications with the delegation boomerang that I should keep in mind?<\/h3>\n<p>Consider this: Do you tend to take the work back more often with some staff than others? Are there patterns to this\u2014along lines of race, gender, or other markers of identity? If yes, think about why that might be. Is it a lack of trust? Is it a hesitation to provide feedback and coaching? Or, are you more likely to want to &#8220;help out&#8221; some staff over others?<\/p>\n<p>The delegation boomerang is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/using-choice-points-to-advance-racial-equity-and-inclusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">choice point<\/a>\u2014an opportunity for you to take another path that advances equity and inclusion within your sphere of control.<\/p>\n<h3>3. I know taking the work back is bad, but it\u2019s my default. How do I prevent myself from acting on some very deep-seated instincts?<\/h3>\n<p>Get curious about what drives your delegation boomerang impulse, and then consider an alternative way of thinking about it:<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you miss getting to do the work your staff does\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remember that we all love doing things we&#8217;re good at. The more you lean into developing your management (and other new) skills, the more quickly you\u2019ll have those same feelings of success with your new job responsibilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If supporting and helping out feels good\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rethink what it means to \u201chelp.\u201d Your team might love a quick fix, but thinking back on their work in the future, they\u2019ll really remember the managers who invested in <em>their<\/em> ability to grow and master the work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you hate seeing people struggle\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remember that falling down, frustration, and failure are all parts of growth. Rather than reading your team\u2019s struggles as pain, recognize that they are in the learning zone\u2014and cheer them on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you love solving problems\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recognize that you don\u2019t have to stop problem-solving\u2014you have to stop being the first person to come up with solutions. Put your staff in the problem-solving driver\u2019s seat\u2014ask them to come up with multiple possible solutions to the challenge\u2014and back them up with your assessment of the most strategic approach, and any additional ideas you have.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you don\u2019t have time to let somebody learn as they go\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Note that it may be easier and faster at this moment to do the work yourself, but in the long term, their ability to do the work saves you significant time and energy! If you still find yourself regularly hesitant to delegate to someone who really should be able to do the work, then you\u2019re probably facing a performance problem, not a delegation problem. (And if that\u2019s the case, the section on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources-and-tools\/performance-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">addressing performance problems<\/a> in our Tools Library might help.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If you end up doing the work because \u201cit\u2019s really no one\u2019s job&#8230;\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Think about what falls between the cracks most often. Rather than letting things fall into \u201cother duties as assigned,\u201d get explicit about the work and the skills or mindsets needed to handle it. Then add it to role expectations\u2014whether yours or theirs\u2014or consider a rotating schedule. For example, prepping team meeting agendas could rotate to each member of the team, and proofreading grants before they go out might need to be assigned more clearly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>If your organization is growing but you just don\u2019t have X or Z role in place yet&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Start thinking about what bundles of work you shouldn\u2019t be doing (but are), and start building a list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/figuring-role-sample-worksheet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">must-haves for the role<\/a> and capacity for that role, including keeping an eye out for potential candidates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Check out these frequently asked questions about avoiding the delegation boomerang.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10397,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"resource_types":[48],"topic":[36],"collection":[],"class_list":["post-6239","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_types-article-publication","topic-delegation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Delegation Boomerang FAQ - The Management Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Delegation Boomerang FAQ - The Management Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Check out these frequently asked questions about avoiding the delegation boomerang.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Management Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-management-center\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-14T21:38:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@managementctr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Management Center\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b39997ba6729b4aa67d429c2e2351395\"},\"headline\":\"Delegation Boomerang FAQ\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-25T22:13:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-14T21:38:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\"},\"wordCount\":740,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\",\"name\":\"Delegation Boomerang FAQ - The Management Center\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-25T22:13:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-14T21:38:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg\",\"caption\":\"Article icon of an open publication.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Delegation Boomerang FAQ\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/\",\"name\":\"The Management Center\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Management Center\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/TMC_logo_primary.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/TMC_logo_primary.svg\",\"width\":325,\"height\":40,\"caption\":\"The Management Center\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-management-center\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/managementctr\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/themanagementcenter\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b39997ba6729b4aa67d429c2e2351395\",\"name\":\"The Management Center\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/606b7b79ce9cf02e9833bc50facfde30e91717cff8d97c1c41693354f10f4507?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/606b7b79ce9cf02e9833bc50facfde30e91717cff8d97c1c41693354f10f4507?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"The Management Center\"},\"description\":\"The Management Center is a 501c3 organization that helps leaders working for social change build equitable, sustainable, and results-driven organizations via trainings coaching, and online resources and tools.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/themanagementcenter\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-management-center\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/author\/tmc_staff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Delegation Boomerang FAQ - The Management Center","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Delegation Boomerang FAQ - The Management Center","og_description":"Check out these frequently asked questions about avoiding the delegation boomerang.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/","og_site_name":"The Management Center","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-management-center\/","article_modified_time":"2025-07-14T21:38:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg","width":1,"height":1,"type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@managementctr","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/"},"author":{"name":"The Management Center","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b39997ba6729b4aa67d429c2e2351395"},"headline":"Delegation Boomerang FAQ","datePublished":"2019-10-25T22:13:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-14T21:38:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/"},"wordCount":740,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/","url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/","name":"Delegation Boomerang FAQ - The Management Center","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg","datePublished":"2019-10-25T22:13:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-14T21:38:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/not-indexed\/2022\/TMC-Resource-Types-05_article.svg","caption":"Article icon of an open publication."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/delegation-boomerang-faq\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Resources","item":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Delegation Boomerang FAQ"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/","name":"The Management Center","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#organization","name":"The Management Center","url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/TMC_logo_primary.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/TMC_logo_primary.svg","width":325,"height":40,"caption":"The Management Center"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-management-center\/","https:\/\/x.com\/managementctr","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/themanagementcenter\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b39997ba6729b4aa67d429c2e2351395","name":"The Management Center","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/606b7b79ce9cf02e9833bc50facfde30e91717cff8d97c1c41693354f10f4507?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/606b7b79ce9cf02e9833bc50facfde30e91717cff8d97c1c41693354f10f4507?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"The Management Center"},"description":"The Management Center is a 501c3 organization that helps leaders working for social change build equitable, sustainable, and results-driven organizations via trainings coaching, and online resources and tools.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/themanagementcenter\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-management-center\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/author\/tmc_staff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/6239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/6239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6239"},{"taxonomy":"resource_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_types?post=6239"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=6239"},{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=6239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}