Lessons in being a good receiver of bad delegation... from a cooking show.

Are you being delegated tasks by a stressed out, time-poor, leader? There's simple things you can do to help set yourself up for success.

MasterChef Australia is back on. It’s the only commercial television program I consume, and I love it. I watch it with my eight year old because we love the food and also because it has many valuable lessons: how to stay humble; invite feedback for improvement; recover from set-backs; stay composed under pressure; and gather inspiration from the success of others, rather than being threatened by it. It’s a treasure trove of inspiration for developing a growth mindset... Of course, I’m also hoping he’ll learn how to cook so he can eventually take over.

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This week was the team relay. It’s a classic MasterChef challenge in which team members have only 30 seconds to communicate the task to the incoming person. The end result varies in quality; from a cohesive dish that could’ve been created by one person, through to a confused mess of styles that is far from delicious.

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The key to success in the challenge is the quality of the handover. The entering team member has no idea what they’re cooking, or where things are up to. Trying to get what they need to pick up the task, in 30 seconds, is a huge challenge, and my son and I were talking about the simple things team members can do to increase the chance of success.?

1- Be a calm and energised presence

In the Masterchef challenge, those who come in calm and composed get the best result. Self-regulation is a must.

The person delegating to you is under pressure, flustered, time poor, and carrying the weight of responsibility for the end result. They might not be at their best so you have to meet them there, not waste time wishing they were doing better. As you receive instruction, be composed, unruffled, and meet their energy, not their emotion. Your body should communicate “I’m ready, I’m listening, I’ve got you, this is important to me".

For some leaders the point of handover is the moment they feel most vulnerable, the relinquishing of control can create a stress response. Meeting their energy helps them feel safe. A simple, "I see this is important, and I'm here to help" can do wonders.

?2 - Ask great questions

A time-poor delegator will focus on all the things you need to do to complete the task. “You need to chop the parsley, balance the stock etc”. To get a high-quality outcome you also need to understand the end goal, context, approach and what resources are available to you, so if you’re not getting that information, ask! What and how questions are best when you're in a rush.

• What’s the vision for the dish?
• What’s the most important factor?
• What style are we cooking?
• How should I approach it?
• What haven’t we discussed but should?

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These type of questions always unearth something critical in the relay (usually something in the oven!) and I've seen this play out the same way in the work place, particularly when a more junior team member is asking questions of someone who is more familiar with the task.

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3 - Reflect back what you’ve understood

This quickly flushes out any assumptions or missing information as the delegator hears it played back. The MasterChef teams that take that few seconds to repeat back key points always discover something important that has been under-emphasised or misinterpreted in the initial handover. "Oh, you must hero the tomatoes!" The same thing happens at work. Take a moment to consolidate understanding for the best results.

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In my leadership work I am always helping leaders become more effective delegators, and the smartest of clients also provide development to juniors on how to be a good receiver of delegation. This combination creates a shared language and shorthand for when the pressure is on.

Food for thought??

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