Tag: delegation

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Delegating vs. Holistic Delegating – Lessons From September

Holistic delegation is a meta-skill

When I started unpacking the concept of regular delegation this month, I thought that I would write about just the act of giving someone something to do.

That is regular delegation.

Simple enough. However, there is more than that.

Great leaders recognize the action around the transaction as well. That regular delegation pales to “holistic delegation,” which is delegating which considers all other concerns.

Even before you give someone something to do, there are things to consider:

These questions sound like a lot of work, and they are. That’s why the focus is always important. Doing high leverage work is your leadership balance. Everything else has to fall to the side to even attempt holistic delegation.

Holistic delegating is a meta-skill. The good news is, leveling up any one of those things makes the rest doable.

So, get some coffee.

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Did you know I send a newsletter out every Sunday? It is more personal than the blog, combining my personal stories with an overarching theme.  I also throw in some great links that I’ve found on the internet.

 

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Make a Fence -Framing Makes Freedom

Create a frame

A few days ago, I heard a story on a podcast about kids, fences, and freedom.

Mainly,  they saw that kids didn’t explore when they were in a park without fences. Without any visible boundaries, the kids kept close to the middle and played it safe.

When those same kids went to another park with fences, they spread around the entire area. They felt safe enough to explore the world around them.

Have you ever worked on a project when there were “no rules?”

It is stifling.

There isn’t a starting point. Most of us emulate those kids, we stick close to the middle and try not to fail.  It is as bad as someone micromanaging. If you stick to what you know, you can’t grow.

The best leaders work to understand the work before hand. They take that knowledge and put down a “fence” when they delegate. The fence is a frame that gives people the freedom to try.

Give someone enough room, you can watch them soar.

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Build Trust and Push off Worry – Pick a Review Date

 build-trust-and-push-off-worry

Review in intervals, not the moment

There is no perfect choice. 

With that said, it’s insane to change every time you feel there is a better option. There is always a “better” choice. Making that choice is a shortcut into decision fatigue. 

In order to avoid decision fatigue, make it your practice to check and improve your plan before you begin every project. This tactic is a best practice.

Put the date on the calendar. When it’s there, if something needs a change, just document it. Once it is out of your head, you’ll feel better. Instead of a headache, wondering if this changes, you know you will address it.

This tactic is even more important when you delegate to or deal with a team.

Keep your team in the loop. An established review date improves trust and makes change a natural part of the process.

When you don’t do this, you risk changing the plan on the fly and demoralizing your team around you. 

Leaving your team out: avoid this at your peril. When you often change things without a set process, you seem to be a waffler.

This simple move, picking a date, allows the worry to have its “day in court.” 

Most importantly, you and your team get back to work.

 

 

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Find Out Why – Put a Light on It

life-as-usual

Identify & move

Let’s talk about you for a minute.

You know that feeling you get when you see Bob?

That pit of your stomach feeling? That ugh!

You won’t give Bob a fair shake until you name “it.” We aren’t robots, and emotionally you won’t let whatever that slight was “go,” especially if you carry it.

You have two options – stop working with Bob, or find out what that feeling is and resolve it.

The good news is, addressing the issue is much easier once you find it.

How do you show it? Write it out. Get that feeling out.

Supreme Court Justice Brandeis once said, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

After the feeling is out, think about yourself.  What causes you to have those feelings?

Resolve them.

What about Bob?

Bob has nothing to do with it. Your feelings are up to you.

If you intend to lead, you have to master yourself.

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Delegation – You Can’t Do It Yourself – Theme For September

delegation

You can’t do it all.

At some point, you need to tell someone what to do. You have to delegate. It’s an important life skill.

We are bad at it, though.

It’s hard to trust, build champions and trusted advisors, and create agreement.

We find ourselves asking too little. Then we ask way too much. We oscillate wildly between “the nice guy” and “the mean guy.” We don’t explain why things are important, and then we over-explain.

We play the delegate “game” at extremes and fall victim to our confirmation bias.

You aren’t the only one.

It’s critical to any form of leadership, and it’s why it’s the theme for September.

This month’s theme ties into communication

At the end of last year, I wrote a post that resulted in my picking four themes for 2016. They are the guiding light (strategic)  for my ideas. Each month on this blog, I break things down into the practical (tactical). This year I want to tie them together, so each month, I have to write the reason they connect.

Reread candidate

No One Understands You and What to Do About It by Heidi Grant Halvorson – Communication isn’t static. It is dynamic and relies on your team’s perception. This book lays out some great first steps for you to uncover and change them for the better.

Assumptions

  • Trust is essential
  • Give failure room to exist.
  • Delegating isn’t a two-way street. You have to give.
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