Delegation: Follow-through

Domain: Execution - Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Most sports place an emphasis on follow-through. A continuation of the motion even after the object has been released or struck.

Have you ever stopped to ask why that's important? Why does it matter what we do after we're no longer in control of the object in question?

It has everything to do with intention. If you anticipate stopping your momentum as soon as the object is released, it will actually change your mechanics prior to that release.

Our brains just can't help it. We'll get in our own way. It is then easier to simply follow through the motion so that we don't interrupt the mechanics by anticipating ending the momentum.

Where the hell am I going with this?

This same principle applies to delegation.

We've previously covered strategies for effective delegation in a number of separate topics. Today, we are going to focus on the follow through.

Believe it or not, actually delegating the task is the easy part. The real work lies in how you support the individual afterwards. You don't want to micromanage here but you also don't want to hang them completely out to dry.

In other words, we've released the responsibility to our employee but we still want to follow through in a way that lets them know they have autonomy and authority to move forward.

Each of the strategies below will require a constant balance between these two tensions, autonomy and support.

Training and resources

Once you have delegated a task, you want to be sure that you are providing any critical training and resources that the individual may need to be successful.

We are only talking about resources that are absolutely critical. This is not the time to train them on your own approach based on your personal preferences.

When you chose the individual for this task, you already made the decision that they are up to the challenge. Try to honor that.

To achieve this, I recommend by asking the individual what resources they feel they need to be successful. Assuming you have provided those, avoid the temptation of getting more prescriptive unless they are asking for it.

Reinforce their authority

For many individuals, simply delegating the task in the first place won't be enough to send a message that you trust them to make the necessary decisions. You'll need to reinforce this through your conversation and actions.

If they come to you for a decision that you think they should be making, defer back to them. This doesn't mean you refuse to help, you just want to send a subtle message that you trust them.

In these situations, my first response is usually something along the lines of "what do you suggest?" or "what do you think the right decision is?"

And then I let them know I support their recommendation. Even if it's not what I would do. As long as it's not going to lead to a critical failure, I support their decision. In this moment, the trust you are building by reinforcing their authority is often more valuable than the outcome of their decision.

Patience

For many managers, the process of delegating is a growth opportunity for them as well as their employee. It can test their patience and ability to release direct control over a process. This is an opportunity for the manager and employee to grow together.

To achieve that, you want to fight the urge to immediately step-in when something isn't going as planned. And there will be things that don't go as planned. This is a learning and growth process and neither of those occur without some mistakes and missteps.

Your job here is not to shield them from mistakes, but to give them the space to fall, learn and recover.

Checking-in

Similar to the initial training and resources, we want our employee to know that our ongoing support is available while still preserving their autonomy.

To that end, I recommend establishing an agreed-upon regular check-in. The secret is to check-in with the person, not the task.

Instead of focusing on the progress/status of the task, we're going to focus on how they are doing with the task. It's a subtle but powerful distinction. Checking-in with them allows them to guide the conversation as to what they need from you in terms of support.

Thank you for reading. My hope is always that you've found something helpful and easy to implement. If you have feedback, suggestions or questions, please reply to this email.

If you are interested in exploring one-on-one coaching to transform your leadership, email me at [email protected] and we’ll coordinate a free, one-hour discovery session.

This week’s action items:

1. Provide only the critical training and resources and then let them decide what else they need to be successful.

2. Reinforce their authority when they come to you with challenges or uncertainty.

3. Give them the space to experiment, fail, learn and recover.

4. Check-in with how they are doing managing the task, not the status of the task itself.