How to Give Employees More Responsibility

Employees often feel ready for more before their managers are prepared to give it.

The employee sees an opportunity to contribute, develop new skills and demonstrate potential. The manager sees the risks, relationships and judgment the assignment requires.

Both perspectives may be valid.

The answer is not to hold capable employees in place until they have accumulated an arbitrary number of years. It is also not to give someone complete ownership before they have demonstrated the skills the work requires.

Effective development creates a responsible bridge between potential and readiness. Managers expand responsibility in stages, explain what success requires and provide enough support for the employee to learn without taking over the work.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Coddled or Ready for More?

If you had to boil down anti and pro-millennial sentiments into a single word each, you could get pretty close to understanding either camp’s perspective with the words “cuddled” and “coddled” respectively.

Cuddled is the easier of the two to generalize and it’s the argument that we’ve already addressed a few times in our earlier postings. Gen-Y is the generation that grew up with everyone getting a trophy and whose parents still haven’t kicked them out of the house yet. The belief is that millennials are spoiled because they haven’t had to work as hard as previous generations, and they are entitled from growing up in era of iPhones and Netflix.

Coddled is perhaps a little more challenging to understand. Age and experience have traditionally been synonymous with wisdom and success, and the very real argument against giving millennials greater responsibility in companies is that they are young and have not yet had the work experience necessary to be successful. That’s a fair argument to make. However, from the millennial perspective, it’s one that may be growing increasingly dated.

When I graduated college it was far more difficult to find a job than I had anticipated. I had a dual degree from a good university, but I found myself in the same position that so many millennials find themselves in as well: “well we’d like to hire you, but we really need someone with more experience.” For an entry-level position? Seriously? Each job search is unique and with its own professional goals and encounters, but it seems that more and more college graduates find themselves frustrated trying to even find their first job.

And that’s an interesting paradox. If Gen-Y is the most diverse and highest educated generation to-date, then why have so many of us heard our friends lament the difficulty of finding a job. We’re tech-savvy, worldly, (and very humble!), so wouldn’t you think employers would be jumping at the chance to hire us?

From the millennial perspective, older hiring and promotion systems that don’t immediately recognize the energy and time that went towards graduating college amidst a swirl of academic, social, and personal growth can feel unfairly restrictive. As we mentioned in our previous post “Ready, Set…Done,” millennials are the most energetic and ready to perform right at the onset of their new careers. But when those new careers don’t immediately offer gratification or growth, it can begin to feel as though we are being held back, even coddled.

“I know I can do that! Just give me a chance to show you.”

The workforce is now more worldly and specialized than it ever has been, and a by-product of this is that these new employees who\’ve already had a plethora of learning experiences, want to hit the ground running and be given more responsibility and exposure than previous generations.

It might sound a little silly to think that just because you have a piece of paper that says you’ve graduated from college that that makes you an expert in a certain field. And of course, you\’re not an expert after only four years of school. But a friend of mine who is an engineer three years out of college offered an interesting perspective on this matter that I think is worth considering:

“It’s the inconsistency that’s the most frustrating. Sometimes it seems like I’m a vital player, helping design a lifting system that can raise pipelines thousands of feet in torrential weather, but other times I feel like I’m just twiddling my thumbs at my desk, waiting until enough time has passed that I’m deemed experienced enough to take on a certain project.”

So therein lies the issue. In the case of this particular engineer he feels that he is being coddled at times by his management, but it’s very likely that that kind of attitude will cause him to be viewed by his management as being a cuddled millennial. Everyone wants to feel like they are valued in their employment, and I’d argue that the majority of millennials don’t believe that they really know everything about how to do a particular job. Their rub instead comes from being able to do more than they were expected to be able to do early on, which leads to an awkward period (weeks, months, or years), where they can feel unchallenged and unappreciated.

“I have a degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. Why am I filling out spreadsheets all day?”

Cuddled or coddled is a question that doesn’t get asked often, but it’s one that clearly defines another gap between the established workforce and millennials. The “most-driven generation” wants a chance to prove themselves because they believe they have the skills necessary to make an earnest attempt, but it’s not inherently in a manager’s best interest to “gamble” on a new employee not making costly mistakes. Gen-Y may have a larger knowledge base than previous generations, but the question remains just how much of that knowledge base is relevant and can be trusted as untested professional experience.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Why Employees Feel Ready Before Managers Do

Employees and managers often evaluate readiness from different perspectives.

An employee may focus on the technical task:

“I know how to do this work.”

The manager may be considering everything surrounding the task:

“Can this person manage the stakeholders, recognize risk, make decisions and communicate problems before they escalate?”

This difference can make an employee feel underestimated and a manager feel pressured.

Employees may become frustrated when they have demonstrated strong technical ability but continue receiving routine assignments. Managers may hesitate because they have seen capable employees struggle when a project becomes ambiguous or politically sensitive.

Neither side benefits when the reasoning remains unspoken.

Managers should explain what the larger responsibility actually requires. Employees should ask which capabilities they still need to demonstrate.

The gap between potential and readiness becomes manageable when both sides can describe what is missing.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: What Does Readiness for More Responsibility Look Like?

Readiness is not determined only by confidence, education or time in a role.

It is demonstrated through behavior.

An employee may be ready for greater responsibility when they can:

• Deliver current work consistently
• Understand how their decisions affect other people
• Recognize when an issue needs to be escalated
• Communicate progress without being asked repeatedly
• Accept and apply feedback
• Manage competing priorities
• Ask for help before a problem becomes critical
• Build productive working relationships
• Explain the reasoning behind a recommendation
• Take responsibility for mistakes and next steps

Not every assignment requires all these capabilities at the same level. Managers should identify which behaviors matter most for the specific opportunity.

For example, leading an internal process may test organization and follow-through. Representing the team with a client may require judgment, audience awareness and the ability to respond under pressure.

The assignment should match the capability the employee needs to develop.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Six Ways to Expand an Employee’s Responsibilities

1. How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Define the Capability Being Tested

A stretch assignment should have a developmental purpose.

Managers sometimes give an employee additional work without explaining what the opportunity is intended to build. The employee experiences more volume, but not necessarily more growth.

Before assigning the work, identify the capability involved:

• Ownership
• Judgment
• Influence
• Decision-making
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic thinking
• Communication
• Prioritization
• Leadership

Explain that purpose to the employee.

For example:

“I would like you to lead the next cross-functional review. The goal is to give you experience aligning people with different priorities and guiding the group toward a decision.”

That context helps the employee understand why the assignment matters and what effective performance will look like.

2. How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Use Stretch Assignments

A stretch assignment should require an employee to work beyond their current comfort level without placing them in a situation they have no reasonable way to manage.

Useful stretch assignments may include:

• Leading a portion of an important project
• Facilitating a team meeting
• Managing a relationship with one stakeholder
• Developing a recommendation for a real business issue
• Providing an update to senior leadership
• Representing the team in a cross-functional group
• Coaching a newer employee
• Managing a process from beginning to end
• Responding to a customer issue with manager support

The assignment should be real. Employees know when they have been given a manufactured exercise that carries no meaningful responsibility.

At the same time, the manager should consider the consequences of failure. A stretch assignment should create room to learn without exposing the employee or organization to unreasonable risk.

3. How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Set Decision Boundaries

Delegation becomes difficult when neither person knows which decisions the employee can make independently.

Managers can reduce uncertainty by establishing clear boundaries:

• Which decisions can the employee make?
• Which decisions require consultation?
• What issues should be escalated immediately?
• What budget, time or resources are available?
• Which stakeholders need to remain informed?
• What cannot be changed?
• What outcome is required?

These boundaries do not remove ownership. They make ownership possible.

An employee who understands the limits of the assignment can act with greater confidence. The manager can step back without worrying that an important risk will remain hidden.

Delegation works when ownership and boundaries are equally clear.

4. How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Establish Useful Checkpoints

Managers often make one of two mistakes.

They delegate the assignment and disappear, or they monitor every step so closely that the employee never develops ownership.

Checkpoints create a better balance.

Agree in advance when progress will be reviewed and what the employee should bring to each conversation. A checkpoint might focus on:

• Progress toward the outcome
• Decisions already made
• New risks or changes
• Stakeholder reactions
• Areas where guidance is needed
• Next steps

The employee should remain responsible for the work. The manager’s role is to ask questions, test assumptions and provide perspective.

As the employee demonstrates capability, the frequency of checkpoints can decrease.

5. How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Coach Without Taking Over

When an employee struggles, managers may be tempted to provide the answer immediately.

That may solve the current problem but reduce the developmental value of the assignment.

Before offering a solution, ask:

• What outcome are you trying to create?
• What options have you considered?
• What are the advantages and risks of each?
• Who will be affected by this decision?
• What additional information do you need?
• What do you recommend?
• What would you do if I were not available?

These questions help the employee develop judgment rather than simply follow instructions.

There are situations when the manager must intervene. A significant customer, legal, financial or organizational risk may require direct action. But intervention should be deliberate, and the manager should explain why it was necessary.

6. How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Evaluate the Result Together

Development continues after the assignment ends.

Review both the outcome and the employee’s approach:

• What worked?
• What became more difficult than expected?
• Which decision had the greatest impact?
• How did stakeholders respond?
• Where did communication break down?
• What would the employee repeat?
• What should change next time?
• What responsibility could come next?

The conversation should include recognition as well as correction.

If the employee handled the assignment well, explain which behaviors demonstrated readiness. If the result fell short, distinguish between a normal development gap and a failure to meet an established expectation.

The review turns one assignment into preparation for the next.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Responsibility Is More Than Additional Work

More work is not always more responsibility.

An employee can receive a larger volume of routine assignments without gaining meaningful ownership, visibility or decision-making experience.

Developmental responsibility usually includes at least one of the following:

• A decision to make
• An outcome to own
• A stakeholder to influence
• A problem to solve
• A process to improve
• A recommendation to develop
• A relationship to manage
• A team or conversation to lead

Managers should be careful not to describe additional workload as a development opportunity when the nature of the work has not changed.

Employees should also recognize that some foundational work is necessary. Reliability in routine responsibilities helps build the trust required for greater ownership.

The balance comes from connecting current work to future capability and ensuring that development becomes visible over time.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: What Employees Can Do to Demonstrate Readiness

Employees do not need to wait silently for a manager to recognize their potential.

They can make a thoughtful case for greater responsibility.

A productive request might include:

1. What the employee has already demonstrated
2. Which capability they want to develop
3. A specific opportunity they could take on
4. How the assignment would help the team
5. What support they may need

For example:

“I have managed the weekly reporting process independently and improved the turnaround time. I would like to lead the next review meeting so I can build experience answering stakeholder questions and recommending next steps. Could we discuss what you would need to see from me to make that possible?”

This approach is stronger than simply saying, “I am ready for more.”

Employees can also demonstrate readiness by:

• Following through consistently
• Bringing solutions with problems
• Asking for feedback
• Applying feedback visibly
• Learning the broader business context
• Building relationships across teams
• Raising risks early
• Communicating progress clearly
• Taking responsibility for mistakes
• Recognizing the limits of their experience

Self-awareness builds more confidence than certainty without evidence.

How to Give Employees More Responsibility: Communication Is Part of Readiness

Greater responsibility almost always creates greater communication complexity.

An employee may need to explain a recommendation, influence someone outside the team, respond to senior leaders or give feedback to another employee. Technical ability alone may not prepare someone for those moments.

Managers should look for an employee’s ability to:

• Reach the main point quickly
• Adjust detail for the audience
• Explain why an issue matters
• Listen before responding
• Answer questions directly
• Communicate disagreement constructively
• Ask for a clear decision
• Follow up on commitments
• Remain credible under pressure

These skills often determine whether others know how to give employees more responsibility.

It’s a difficult question. What do you think, cuddled or coddled? How to give employees more responsibility?

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