🐱‍🚀How do you delegate in your team?

Question

Wondering what type of delegation do you use within your team?(even if it's the case of a small team) Tell: I will tell them. Sell: I will try and sell it to them. Consult: I will consult and then decide. Agree: We will agree together. Advise: I will advise but they decide. Inquire: I will inquire after they decide. Delegate: I will fully delegate. For those who want more info about the 7 types of delegation you can find it here - https://medium.com/@jurgenappelo/the-7-levels-of-delegation-672ec2a48103

Evan Stewart · Accepted Answer

I think it depends on the topic being discussed. There is an argument for each of these, depending on the subject.

From a leadership perspective:
Tell: when there isn't room for discussion.
"Trust I know what I'm doing and get it done."

Sell: when there is going to be pushback, and the team needs to get on board.
"I believe this is good for the company, and need you to buy in so I'll have your full effort."

Consult: when outcomes or roadmaps are uncertain.
"I will present the solution we need to get to and we will collaborate on a good road to get there, together."

Agree: when something must be understood and adopted completely before it's executed.
"This project has a significant impact on the lives of other people, so everyone on this team must be on board before we set things in motion."

Advise: when the project is too far removed from my daily understanding or workflow.
"I believe this solution is the best route, but need your counsel—as someone working in the minutiae of the daily labor—to validate or challenge my thought process."

Inquire: when I only need to know details, but those details don't change the outcome.
"Just tell me what you're going to do, what I need to know, and get the job done. I'll ask questions if they come up."

Delegate: when the team has complete trust and a proven track record to accomplishing the tasks before them.
"This month we need [x] and [x] to be accomplished. Get it done."

Evan Stewart · Answer

@viorica_vanica adjustments come in two forms; people and processes.

People: empowering teams to execute with confidence, knowing their every step won't be undermined. Learning about the specifics that led to a certain project's success or failure (from a people standpoint) so those traits that were shown to be successful can be lifted and duplicated, and the habits that caused an undesirable outcome can be shed. Using tools such as the Predictive Index® to build strong, mutually beneficial teams, etc. etc.

In short, people adjustments begin by ensuring someone's hope doesn't die in your perspective.

Processes: eliminating inefficiencies, streamlining workflow through automation, and tightening loose ends from a systems standpoint. My "go-to" formula is to eliminate 30% of the deadline (if something is due in 3 months, I need it done in 2, that kind of thing), and execute at 70% of information (this eliminated "analysis paralysis.") This, in turn, gets rid of a TON of overthinking, ridiculous scrutiny, and allows the company to move forward quickly without breaking things in the process.

Evan Stewart · Answer

@viorica_vanica Sell and inquire for me, how about you?

Evan Stewart · Answer

@viorica_vanica I agree; practice and faith. Trust is faith in maturity, and the best way I learned how to get my hand off the wheel was to have faith in those I hired to do their best, and make adjustments when the outcome wasn't met. It's a long process, but nothing great ever came easily.

Miriam Dorsett · Answer

ASANA muahahahaha 😈

Great Manager Institute™ · Answer

@evst Very well encapsulated, Evan

Vio Vanica · Answer

@evst so true with nothing comes easily, what kind of adjustments? (i mean is that you get involved in making the adjustments or you delegate it to someone else)

Vio Vanica · Answer

@evst how long did it take you to iterate to these versions of adjustments?

SendGift · Answer

A difficult question... In the sendgift team we believe that in order to delegate, the first thing to do is to make all team members know how others work. Only in this way they will be prepared to take on other tasks on the day someone is absent. 😊

Vio Vanica · Answer

@evst I did not expect such an elaborate answer, this is amazing, thank you! I totally see the point of applying a different type of delegation in different situations, which one do you struggle the most with to put in practice?

Vio Vanica · Answer

@evst inquire - to be honest, I guess it's a personal struggle here, in terms of I need to get over myself and if I am not on the same page as they decide, sometimes I just have to go with it. (that requires practice)

Evan Stewart · Answer

@greatmanageri Thank you very much!

Evan Stewart · Answer

@viorica_vanica Years, and every day we get a little better even still. I love the term, "we're not where we want to be, but thank God we're not who we used to be."

Basically, prioritizing progress over perfection was the first step to allowing our teams to feel comfortable failing, and creating an open environment in which every member felt confident to lean into new tools, processes, and commitments. The application of that ideology plays out over years—or decades—and honestly, I'm not sure if there is ever a "finish line" to even cross!

🐱‍🚀How do you delegate in your team?

Replies