Leadership Essentials from "Coaching on the Go" - Part 1: Delegation

?? Delegation Pitfalls: The Unseen Toll on Your Leadership Effectiveness !!

If you haven't read Phil and Jenny's "Coaching on the Go," you're missing out on game-changing leadership insights. This series will dive deep into their revolutionary ideas, starting with a skill that separates true leaders from mere managers: delegation.

The Delegation Dilemma: Which Leader Are You? ??

Phil and Jenny expose two starkly different delegation mindsets. Which one describes you?

"The first is flavoured with a hint of guilt. That is, a leader who feels slightly guilty at asking someone else to take on a task. Their assumption is that if they had time, they would do it themselves and therefore delegation can be seen as dumping unwanted tasks on to someone else."

If this sounds familiar, you're not just failing at delegation – you're actively holding back your team and your organization.

This guilt-ridden approach leads to:

?? Rushed, incomplete briefings

?? Lack of necessary information sharing

?? Insufficient support during task execution

?? Unrealistic expectations of perfect outcomes

The result? A downward spiral of poor performance, decreased trust, and missed opportunities for growth.

But there's a better way:

"By contrast, a second mindset flips this attitude completely the other way and considers delegation as an opportunity to provide someone else with an assignment where they can grow and develop."

This isn't just a different approach – it's the key to unlocking your team's potential and skyrocketing your leadership effectiveness.

The Secret Weapon: Coaching-Style Delegation ??

Here's where Phil and Jenny drop a bombshell:

"The key skills in coaching overlap with the key skills of delegating, such as contracting, listening, questioning and building rapport."

If you're not leveraging coaching skills in your delegation, you're missing out on a powerful leadership multiplier.

This approach involves:

?? Contracting: Clearly defining expectations, outcomes, and boundaries

?? Listening: Truly understanding your team member's perspective and concerns

?? Questioning: Helping your team member think through challenges and solutions

?? Building Rapport: Creating a supportive relationship that fosters trust and open communication

Embracing Failure: The Counter-Intuitive Path to Success ??

Think perfect execution is the goal? Think again. Phil and Jenny remind us:

"At some point, something will go wrong. Your coachee is learning. This exposes them to making mistakes."

If you're not creating an environment where your team can fail safely, you're stunting their growth – and your organization's potential for innovation.

If you're not creating an environment where your team can fail safely, you're stunting their growth – and your organization's potential for innovation. Here's how to embrace failure productively:

?? Set clear boundaries for acceptable risk

?? Provide safety nets to limit the impact of mistakes

?? Use failures as learning opportunities, not punishments

?? Celebrate the lessons learned from mistakes as much as successes

Remember, a team that never fails is a team that never tries anything new or challenging.

The Win-Win You Can't Afford to Miss ?

"Effective delegation generates a win–win. It enables the leader (coach) to be more effective and it enables the team member (coachee) to be more effective."

If you're not achieving this win-win, you're leaving efficiency and growth on the table. Can you really afford that in today's competitive landscape? Here's what you're missing:

For the Leader:

• ?? More time for strategic thinking and planning
• ?? Reduced stress and workload
• ?? Development of coaching and leadership skills
• ?? Creation of a more capable and autonomous team

For the Team Member:

• ?? Skill development and career growth
• ?? Increased job satisfaction and engagement
• ?? Greater sense of ownership and responsibility
• ?? Preparation for future leadership roles

The Hierarchy of Delegation: Aligning Tasks with Organizational Levels ?

"Each layer of an organisation should take on qualitatively different levels of work. This means that the assignments you take on at your level should tackle different strategic or operational problems to those of your team. Equally, your boss should be tackling the next level of problems. The best and most efficient organisations have little overlap between these layers. If you have too much overlap this feels like micro management, whereas if you have no overlap, issues and concerns don’t get resolved and get pushed around the structure with no resolution.."

Phil and Jenny draw on Elliott Jaques' organizational theory to provide a framework for effective delegation. They emphasize that each layer of an organization should handle qualitatively different levels of work. This insight is crucial for deciding what to delegate and how to set others up for success.

Here's how they break it down as an example:

1?? Board Level: 5-10 year horizon

• ?? Mergers and acquisitions
• ?? New business opportunities
• ?? Regulatory environment assessment

2?? Senior Leadership Team: 3-5 year horizon

• ?? Travel trends and technological innovations
• ?? Major strategic decisions

3?? Leadership Team: 1-3 year horizon

• ?? Implementing strategy
• ?? Optimizing current resources

4?? First Level Leadership: 6-12 month horizon

• ?? Ensuring coherence of policies and procedures

5?? Operations: Daily to quarterly horizon

• ?? Executing day-to-day tasks

Phil and Jenny caution against "creeping down" to lower-level tasks when feeling uncertain. While this might boost short-term confidence, it robs your team of learning opportunities and keeps you from being more strategic.

To align delegation with organizational levels:

?? Consider the time horizon of issues you're dealing with

?? Ensure you're solving problems unique to your role

?? Delegate tasks that should be handled by your team

?? Focus on problems that match your pay grade and time horizon

Remember, effective delegation isn't just about task distribution—it's about aligning work with the appropriate organizational level to drive both individual growth and organizational success.

Navigating the Turbulence of Delegation ???

Effective delegation isn't always smooth sailing. Phil and Jenny identify three key challenges that leaders must navigate:

1?? Allowing autonomy: Resist the urge to micromanage. It's tempting to hover over your team members, but this undermines their confidence and stunts their growth.

Instead:

• ?? Clearly define the desired outcomes
• ?? Provide necessary resources and support
• ?? Trust your team to find their own path to success
• ?? Be available for guidance, but don't dictate every step

2?? Preparing for mistakes: Create an environment where calculated risks are encouraged and failures are learning opportunities.

Remember:

• ?? Mistakes are inevitable in the learning process
• ?? Each error is a chance for growth and improvement
• ?? Focus on the lessons learned, not the blame game
• ?? Celebrate the courage to try and the wisdom gained from failure

3?? Delegating less engaging work: Not every task will be exciting, but they're all opportunities for growth and contribution.

Here's how to approach it:

• ?? Frame less appealing tasks in the context of larger, more exciting goals
• ?? Rotate challenging or mundane tasks among team members
• ?? Use these assignments to develop diverse skills across your team
• ?? Acknowledge and appreciate the effort put into less glamorous work

By addressing these challenges head-on, you'll create a more resilient, adaptable, and capable team. Phil and Jenny emphasize that mastering these aspects of delegation not only improves immediate task completion but also builds a culture of trust, growth, and shared responsibility.

The Wake-Up Call for Leaders ?

Jenny and Phil's "Coaching on the Go" isn't just a book – it's a blueprint for leadership excellence. If you're not applying these principles, you're not just falling behind – you're actively holding your team and organization back.

Remember:

"We can only imagine a very few roles where it is possible to delegate without engaging the coaching mode."

If you're not coaching as you delegate, you're not really leading. It's time to step up your game.

Start by:

1?? Assessing your current delegation mindset and practices

2?? Identifying opportunities to integrate coaching skills into your delegation

3?? Creating a plan to align your delegation practices with appropriate time horizons

4?? Committing to viewing delegation as a growth opportunity for your team

In our next article, we'll dive into another crucial leadership skill from "Coaching on the Go." Don't miss it – your leadership journey depends on it.

BONUS: Behavioral Experiments to Supercharge Your Delegation Skills??

What is a Behavioral Experiment in Leadership?

?? A behavioral experiment in leadership is a practical, real-world exercise designed to help you improve your skills through intentional action and reflection.

Key Features:

• Time-Bound: Usually lasts 1-4 weeks
• Focused: Targets a specific skill or behavior
• Action-Oriented: Requires you to do something different
• Reflective: Includes analysis of outcomes
• Low-Risk: Conducted in a controlled, familiar environment

Why Try Behavioral Experiments?

1. Learn by Doing: Apply theories in real situations
2. Safe Practice: Test new approaches with minimal risk
3. Personalized Growth: Tailor experiments to your needs
4. Measurable Results: Observe concrete outcomes
5. Habit Formation: Create lasting behavioral changes

How to Get Started:

1. Choose a specific leadership skill to improve
2. Design a small, achievable change in your behavior
3. Set a timeframe (start with 1-2 weeks)
4. Implement the change consistently
5. Reflect on the results and adjust as needed

Remember, the goal is gradual, sustainable improvement. Start small and build up!

?? Note: Before diving into these experiments, remember that change takes time. Start small and gradually increase the scope and duration of each experiment. Begin with a one-week trial for each, then extend to a month as you become more comfortable. The goal is to create sustainable change, not to disrupt your team's workflow. Adjust the parameters of each experiment to suit your specific context and team dynamics. Remember, the journey of improving your delegation skills is a marathon, not a sprint!        

Ready to take your delegation skills to the next level? Phil and Jenny have a special treat for you! Try these behavioral experiments to put your new knowledge into practice:

1?? The "Hands-Off" Challenge

?? Choose a project you'd typically micromanage

?? Brief your team thoroughly, then step back completely

?? Resist the urge to intervene unless explicitly asked

?? Reflect on the outcomes and your emotional response

2?? The "Stretch Assignment" Test

?? Identify a task slightly beyond a team member's current capabilities

?? Delegate it with clear expectations and support

?? Monitor progress without taking over

?? Assess both the task outcome and the individual's growth

3?? The "Reverse Delegation" Exercise

?? For one week, say "no" to any task that should be handled at a lower level

?? Guide team members on how to handle these tasks themselves

?? Track how this impacts your time and strategic focus

4?? The "Delegation Diary"

?? Keep a log of all tasks you delegate for a month

?? Note your reasoning, the outcomes, and lessons learned

?? Analyze patterns to improve your delegation strategy

5?? The "Feedback Loop" Experiment

?? After delegating a task, ask the team member to explain it back to you

?? Encourage them to identify potential challenges and solutions

?? Use this dialogue to refine your delegation and briefing skills

Remember, as Phil and Jenny emphasize, effective delegation is a skill honed through practice and reflection. These experiments will help you apply the principles from "Coaching on the Go" in real-world scenarios, accelerating your growth as a leader and empowering your team.

Give these experiments a try and share your experiences in the comments! Let's learn from each other and revolutionize our leadership together.

#LeadershipRevolution #DelegationMastery #CoachingOnTheGo #UnleashYourTeam #FutureOfLeadership