Williams Engineering is a midsize firm with three offices. Harry, the CEO, told me about a situation he was facing on a project that was being done by staff in Midville and Genoa City. It seems communications on the project had fallen through the cracks, with each office blaming the other for the problem.
Harry said, “I could just tell them to deal with it. Or I could get involved. I would like the staff to handle these types of issues on their own, but I don’t know if they know how.”
He decided to address the situation then delegate responsibility for future breakdowns, should they occur, to Chuck.
HOORAY FOR HARRY
Harry demonstrated his leadership skill with the decision he made. Too many leaders claim to delegate to staff, but what they really do is abdicate. Take Bill, for example. When staff came to him with a problem, he would just tell them to deal with it. That’s not delegation, that’s abdication. Here’s what true delegation looks like.
HOW TO DELEGATE
When you delegate, you teach others. Learning occurs.
1. Give someone the authority and responsibility to do something that is part of your job.
2. Let them know that you will hold them accountable.
3. Let them know exactly what you expect from them and particular outcomes if you know them.
4. Tell them what resources are available to them.
5. Be clear about all deadlines and why those deadlines count.
6. Establish a schedule for them to check back in with you for follow up.
7. Establish checkpoints to monitor their progress.
8. Sit back and let them prove themselves.
9. Hold them accountable.
10. Praise their good decisions and determine what lessons were learned.
THE DECISION TREE
Another tool that helps staff understand when they need to consult you or make decisions on their own is the Decision Tree.
You establish what a decision is for each level. This is also a great way to deal with those staff who keep coming to you to make every decision. Empower them.
BACK TO OUR FEUDING WHATEVERS
Here’s how Harry solved the situation with Bob and Chuck.
a. He had Bob and Chuck bring in all written communication—i.e., emails—from the dispute.
b. He had them bring pertinent project documents that specified what was needed and when.
c. He sat down with Bob and Chuck to review the facts of the situation.
d. Harry gave each man a chance to express his feelings about what happened.
e. Bob and Chuck, with Harry’s guidance, worked out ways to prevent such things from falling through the cracks again.
f. Harry delegated responsibility to Chuck to handle any future breakdowns.
THE RESULTS
Bob and Chuck have a better working relationship, which is good for the client and good for the company.
As a group, they identified gaps in their communication process that needed to be addressed.
Harry proved his leadership by helping Bob and Chuck address the situation, then delegating responsibility.
Bob and Chuck learned.
What can you delegate today? Get something off of your list and turn it into a learning opportunity for one of your direct reports.
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2 comments:
I like your delegation model. For me, however, especially when mentoring those new to these situations, is not to "sit back". Rather, I keep pretty close, though discrete, tabs on the project in order to correct any planned, but not yet executed, plans that I feel might set things awry. When the problem is over and handled, I try to arrange a mentoring meeting, preferably including the client representative, so their is feedback to the PM/staff, and recognition where it is due.
Article is very interesting !
Thanks for the Information
Regards Education Site
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