De-risking Delegation.
A four step process to delegating any task.
If you find yourself flabbergasted at the quality of work that gets handed back to you when you delegate, you need a better way.
Did you know …
One survey found nearly half of employees have no idea what is expected of them.
When you don’t know what’s expected of you, you can’t focus on the right things.
As a boss, you want your team to know precisely what you expect from them.
Not to guess and tell you what they think you want to hear, right?
This means it’s your job to clarify the limits of what you want them to do.
It sounds counterintuitive, but wow does it work. By creating limits, you actually get higher quality work. This means you can eventually delegate more.
Responsible leadership isn’t about project managing someone's energy levels or protecting them from burnout. It’s being clear on what you expect so they can manage it.
Your simple framework to delegate.
In our delegation workshops for leaders, we step through the G.I.V.E framework:
G: Give clarity.
I: Identify outcomes.
V: Validate support.
E: Expect f-learnings.
Let’s step through it.
G: Give clarity.
Be explicit what you will and won’t be responsible for. What will be your role in the task you’re delegating? What will be theirs?
What’s left over, if anything?
Examples:
My role will be to give you feedback each week on this design.
My role is quality control, not production. Your job is production.
You’ll project manage from start to finish. I’ll approve compliance.
I won't be in the room with you. I’ll be behind the scenes giving you feedback.
What will you do? What won’t you do?
I: Identify outcomes.
Being explicit about what the end result looks like. What does ‘done’ look like?
What is an example of finished? Unfinished?
Examples:
When you send in your trainer reflection, your job is done.
When I’ve approved the report, it’s done.
It’s not done if the finance team hasn't approved it.
It’s not done if the report hasn’t been approved before you submit.
Pro tip: include examples. Examples give you a reference if the job doesn’t get delivered as envisaged. e.g. ‘It needs to look like this. It doesn't yet. Can you revisit?’.
V: Validate support.
Who are their go-to people, to make this happen? What resources can help them along?
Examples:
You and I will meet the day before to rehearse.
I’ll send you templates as a starting point.
So and so has worked on this before, I recommend grabbing 20 minutes with them.
There’s a great how-to video online, I’ll send you the link.
It forces you and them to create a workflow where validation and feedback is automatic. Bake visibility into your workflow to get higher quality work and more trusted relationships.
Remember: the more organised you are, the more organised other people are forced to be around you. Be clear on what happens if it doesn’t get done.
What will you do to minimise that, through support? The support doesn’t all need to come from you, but you do need to be the facilitator of it.
F: Expect ‘f-learning’.
The only way to avoid disappointment and missed expectations is to build in a buffer. Create a deadline, before the deadline.
Never assume someone is organised. You have to be organised to make room for errors, stuff ups, mistakes, miscommunications and more.
New things require more time to process and figure out. Many times you’ll have to pay the ‘doing new things tax’. The tax is = you pay in time when you/your team member hasn’t done the thing before.
Build a buffer in, always. You’d be surprised how many ‘things’ crop up when you can’t afford them to.
Let’s look at a potential script for you.
Your conversation could look like:
I’d like you to do X. I’ll do X, and you’ll be responsible for Y. How does that sound?
I’ll email you a template. You’ll need to find a how-to online or talk to X to get ideas. Does that give you a head-start?
I’ll need your first draft by X. This is when I’ll give you feedback if you’re on the right track. Would that work?
Specific requests, made simple. It’s not an order. It’s a two-way conversation, where you’ve done your bit (clear expectations and support). Their bit is to educate you on what they see as possible.
The result? Reality. Not false promises based on energy levels or having a good day. Realistic timelines, a buffer for ‘new things tax’, and feedback, both ways.
Freeing for you. Empowering for your team member.
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