7. Delegation Levels and the Y-Track in Product Management

In product management, there is a growing recognition of the Y-track career path. This model allows individuals to choose between two main tracks: people management or becoming a specialist. The Y-track is ideal for product managers who reach a senior level but don’t want to lead teams. Instead, they can follow a path focused on expertise rather than management.

Specialist Track in Product Management

For individuals who prefer to focus solely on product development without managing people, there is the option to become a Product Specialist or eventually a Principal Product Manager.

• Product Specialist: A product manager with seniority equivalent to a Group Product Manager (GPM), but focused on managing complex products rather than people. They help support the GPM with difficult decisions and ensure the product meets the company’s goals.

• Principal Product Manager: This role is less common, especially in Brazil, but is for those who manage very complex products. The Principal PM has seniority equivalent to a Head or Director of Product but does not manage people. Instead, they ensure consistency across product teams and support GPMs in complex decisions.

The Seven Levels of Delegation

A significant part of leadership, whether you are managing people or not, involves knowing how and when to delegate. Delegation is not a simple "do it or don’t do it" decision. In his book Management 3.0, Jurgen Appelo describes seven levels of delegation:

1. Tell: You make the decision and simply tell the team what to do. This is not delegation but dictation.

2. Sell: You make the decision but explain the reasoning behind it to the team in an attempt to “sell” the idea.

3. Consult: You seek input from your team, consider their feedback, but still make the final decision yourself.

4. Agree: You discuss the decision with your team and together reach a consensus.

5. Advise: You advise your team, offering guidance, but leave the final decision to them.

6. Inquire: The team makes the decision, and you ask them afterward to explain their choice and reasoning.

7. Delegate: You fully empower the team to make decisions, and you don’t even need to be informed of the specifics.

While these levels provide a useful framework, most leaders find that their approach to delegation is more fluid and less analytical. Depending on the situation, you may naturally shift between levels of delegation.

Micromanagement: The Opposite of Delegation

Micromanagement is the antithesis of delegation. Defined as a management style in which a leader closely monitors and controls the work of their team, it often carries a negative connotation. There are two main reasons why leaders fall into the trap of micromanagement:

1. Insecurity: Insecurity is the most common cause of micromanagement. Leaders may feel uncertain and create extensive rules and procedures to ensure that everything is done “the right way” (i.e., their way). This leads to an environment where team members are not trusted to make decisions, and the leader does not delegate effectively.

2. Personality: In some cases, micromanagement stems from a controlling personality. Some leaders derive satisfaction from keeping people under pressure and monitoring their work closely. However, this is less common than insecurity.

The biggest challenge for new leaders is learning how much to delegate and being comfortable with allowing others to make mistakes. Mistakes are essential for growth and learning. Leaders need to understand that there are often multiple ways to achieve the same result and that their way may not always be the best.

The Value of Mistakes

Allowing people to make mistakes is a critical part of delegation and development. Leaders must have tolerance for error because mistakes provide valuable learning opportunities. When someone makes a mistake, it’s important to help them understand what went wrong and how to avoid repeating it in the future. This not only develops the individual's skills but also strengthens the team’s overall capabilities.

Anti-Patterns in Leadership

Leadership is not without its pitfalls. These anti-patterns are common mistakes that leaders—especially new ones—tend to make. An anti-pattern is a response to a problem that seems effective at first but is ultimately counterproductive.

Micromanagement as an Anti-Pattern

As mentioned earlier, micromanagement is a major anti-pattern. It stems from a leader's desire to control every detail, often due to insecurity. The solution to micromanagement is learning how to delegate effectively and accept mistakes as part of the process.

Excessive Documentation

Another common anti-pattern is focusing too much on documentation. Some leaders believe that detailed documentation is critical before moving forward with development, believing it provides security and clarity. However, this is a false sense of security. While documentation can be helpful, it should not come at the expense of rapid product development.

Excessive documentation slows down the development team and diverts attention from what truly matters: delivering a working product to customers. This approach contradicts the principles of the Agile Manifesto, which values “working software over comprehensive documentation.” The real measure of success is how well the product solves customer problems and delivers value to the company—not how detailed the documentation is.

Conclusion

In summary, delegation is a nuanced skill with varying levels of involvement depending on the situation. The key to effective leadership is knowing when and how much to delegate while being mindful of the pitfalls like micromanagement and excessive documentation. Leaders must be comfortable with mistakes as learning opportunities and recognize that different approaches to achieving success are valid, even if they differ from their own methods. This flexibility fosters growth, both for the leader and the team.