5 Steps to Successful Delegation

Have you ever had a challenge with your children following through on chores? Yeah, me neither. They’re perfect at following through 100% of the time.

Have you ever thought your team was bought in and executing on things, only to realize what you thought was clear and getting done, wasn’t getting done? Yeah… it’s far out there. It’s never happened to me either.

Kidding. I’ve learned the hard way.

Whether you’re leading kids or a team, or you’re ON a team, or in a partnership, or on a boat or in a tree, or building a moat (excuse me while I channel Dr. Seuss). Point is, no matter the nature of your relationship…

frustrations and lack of follow-through can almost always be traced back to unclear expectations.

So, we’re going to dive into five simple steps to successful delegation. But before we do, I want to quickly annihilate the title of this blog post.

My distaste for the word delegation is growing.

Maybe it’s a nuance, but I believe words matter. Ultimately, at the core of my aversion, is some people’s approach to delegation, and how it may negatively impact others.

Let me ask you, have you ever been on the receiving end of someone delegating something to you? If they approached you with a sense of “Let me tell you what you need to do and how this about to go down” or “I’m busy up here with more important matters, so I’m going to sluff off this crap work to you.” or better yet, “I’m ‘bout to give you a crap ton of orders. Take notes. Get it done yesterday!”

I’ve been guilty of others feeling this way with me. I’m in a hurry, I’m overwhelmed, I’m up against a deadline and putting out six fires simultaneously. But not everyone knows that, and they don’t need to. Delegating in that sense I previously described insinuates, “I’m better, my time is more valuable than yours, and I’m going to simply hand you a task and tell you what to do.”

So, leaders (that’s all of you, you’re all leading someone whether you know it or not) you’re getting a loving, empathetic reminder from me today.

Slow down. Show your people you care, because I know you do. And quit acting like an ass.

I said that with love. I hope you felt that.

I don’t have the perfect word to replace delegation, but I cannot overemphasize the importance of your team, kids, partner or whomever, knowing that you’re all in it together. Maybe the word is teamwork instead of delegation?

Five simple steps to effective teamwork. There. Ok. Blog post title annihilated and rebuilt. Check.

Back to the five steps. Almost. There’s one more thing I need to get off my chest.

As a leader, you are ultimately responsible for every shortcoming and held accountable for every success. You understand at times that if you don’t focus on the most important things (paying the bills, stopping the overflowing toilet, bringing in revenue, etc.) the whole ship could go down. At the end of the day, it’s your call, because it’s your responsibility. It’s not your call, because you’re in control.

Leadership is Not about taking control. Leadership is about taking responsbility.

And once you’ve made a decision, you understand you need help. Because there’s no way on earth (or in hell) that any one person can do it all on their own. This is where delegation and teamwork come into play.

Here are the five steps to effective teamwork. 

I’m going to run with two examples in each step here, one for work and one for fam so you can really vibe with me.

1. Frame up the conversation and get the attention of the people you’re working with.

I like to start with something like,

“Hey team, we’ve got a challenge here. It’s an opportunity for us to step up and I think it’s an important one.”

“Hey, kiddos, we’ve got something to talk about that’s important to me. I need your full attention” 

2. State the request and/or problem clearly.

This could sound like, 

“Alright team, as you know we’ve got this event coming up and we need to make sure every one of our people gets a personal phone invite.” 

“Kids, the trash is staanky! It needs to get taken out, pronto.”

This step seems simple. But remember, people can’t read our minds. As a leader, part of your job and ability is to have a broad perspective and vantage point.

You have a unique ability to see the whole picture and IT’S NOT ANYONE’S JOB TO TRY AND READ YOUR MIND 

Also, it’s worth noting, if you’re approaching your people/person with a challenge and you don’t have the solution yet, that’s ok too. My team knows I lead with vulnerability (in fact I’m sure I err too much on that side, at times). There have been plenty of times where I have a problem that I know needs solving, and I need each of their perspectives to find the proper solution. Plus, how much better does it feel when we all get to be a part of the solution?

 3. Explain WHY this is important.

Guys and gals, again, this is so critical. Before you go into problem-solving mode, it is so powerful for people to understand why this conversation is important. I know personally, when I understand the gravity of a situation or have empathy with someone who’s in a bind, I’m much quicker to jump in and have a greater sense of urgency to find a solution.

Slow the truck down. Help people feel the importance of the matter by sharing the why behind it. 

Here are a couple of ideas of what this sounds like,

“Hey team, it’s been a long year. I know you’re working hard. And our people are out on a limb. We’ve been isolated from one another and quarantined. I know how much you/we care about all of them and based on what I’m seeing and hearing, I think a personal phone call would go a long way. And at the end of the day, their success and happiness are ours and vice versa.”

“Hey, kiddos. You know we’re a team, right? Some days are long… even when they’re really great, I’m up at 5 am and I’m running all day. It’s so helpful and means a lot to me when I come home AND THE FREAKING GARBAGE ISN’T STANKIN’ UP THE WHOLE DANG HOUSE!... (ok for real). I just can’t do it all alone and so I’m asking that we work together on this so I can get dinner started right away.

4.  Describe exactly what this request/solution looks like.

Unless we are in an emergency situation or where health and safety are concerned, I almost always have the person or people I’m working with, author the solution. Your people should have the opportunity to help create the plan.

It takes more time. I get it. Practice that patience muscle. Let the results be imperfect sometimes. You started somewhere too. Someone gave you the chance to wobble and walk, then run.  Give someone else that chance.

If you keep taking things back and doing it your way because you like it that way better, you can’t complain that no one helps. Or that you’re shouldering everything on your own.

Knock it off. (I’m telling you what I needed to hear throughout most of my adult life)

Sometimes I think we like to be the martyr and carry the heavyweight and boast about how hard we work, and how much it sucks. But we freaking don’t ask for help and/or let other people help.

Take off your hero cape and let someone else wear it.  

Ok, I’m off my soapbox (for now). Moving along. So you pull the people/person together to describe exactly what the request, or solution is. You do that by answering the same questions on a birthday card invite.

Who, What, Where, When, and How.  

Who: Sally

What: Takes the garbage

Where: She walks her tail out through the snow and puts it in the garbage can outside.

When: All weekdays. Every night before bed

How: With her own two hands

 OR

Who: The team agrees to divvy up the call list and highlights names by color so it’s clear who’s calling whom.

What: They come up with a few questions they want to ask or what they plan to say

Where: They’re going to get together and buy donuts and have a blitz call session

When: It will be complete by Friday at the end of the business day.

How: They dial ‘til their fingers bleed.

What is important about this step? Let me put it to you gently… once again… NO ONE CAN READ YOUR MIND. When you’re mad because the garbage got taken out, but only put on the steps and not in the can, as the leader you take responsibility because you didn’t communicate your expectations clearly. It’s possible the other people didn’t even have an opportunity to buy in and agree to what you had going on in that noggin.

In all seriousness, don’t underestimate the importance of this step. I’ve found that when I’m working with a team, oftentimes an entire team will agree that an idea is good and even necessary. Everyone will nod, and say “yep let’s do it” … but a week later we circle back and realize we didn’t decide who specifically was doing what, and when it would be done by. Reminder, that’s not their problem. It’s yours.

It’s your responsibility to ensure there’s clarity.

And if there wasn’t (even if you thought you were crystal clear) you own that and find a way to be clearer now. One caveat here… yes, they should also be taking responsibility. And you should be surrounding yourself with people who are solutions-based, rather than victims. Always, ultimately, it’s on the leader.  

Now, I can hear Devil’s advocate. What if I got it in writing and everyone agreed to it and it’s still not getting done? Well, friends, that’s a post for another day. There are lots of possible reasons that’s happening. So, for today, I’ll just throw this at you. If you’ve done all you can to be super clear and you’ve had the tough conversations then you might not have the right people on the bus. How do you like that can of worms? I’ll tackle that topic another time.

For now, know that it’s never a bad idea to check yourself and even ask others, “Have I been clear?”

Lastly, number five.

5. Ask, “What else do you need from me?”

Sometimes, oftentimes, people may need other things to complete this task i.e. resources, input, more time, finances, permission to NOT do some other task that was at the top of their priority list.

Ask the question, and offer space to listen.

You might consider asking a few additional questions to ensure everyone has clarity and is on board. 

• Is there anything that would get in your way of completing this?

• What would keep this from happening?

• What are my blind spots?

• What else and I’m missing or not seeing here?

That’s it. Easy-peasy. Kidding. It’s not super easy. But it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Give it a go, let me know how things shake out. And remember, like anything new, it’s going to take time for people to get used to communicating and planning this way.

Lastly, if this is new to you, I’d teach this whole process to your people so they know you’re not micro-managing. You’re bringing clarity. You’re being proactive to help avoid frustration. And others should feel empowered to have the opportunity to learn, grow and have ownership in solutions.

Hopefully, someday they’ll be replacing you and you will have given them the tools they need to be wildly successful!

xo, Jen

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