Teaching, Training, Trust, Delegation, and the Importance of Follow-Up: A Path to Success

It wasn’t until I worked in retail that I fully understood the value of teaching, training, delegating, and following up. I learned that success is built on a simple equation: T3 + D + F2 = Success.

So, what did I learn from the painful experience of failure?

For much of my life, I believed no one could do a job better than I could, and I was reluctant to delegate work to others. I thought they wouldn’t perform as well as I could. Over time, I realized I was wrong.

As a young leader, I was entrusted with many responsibilities because I took ownership of my work. I prided myself on delivering quality and excellence. But as I took on more roles, departments, and eventually my own store, I found myself working longer and harder without getting smarter about how I worked. I became exhausted because I couldn’t get everything done in the time available.

One day, while planning for the holiday rush—managing merchandise flow and sales volumes—I had an epiphany: I had to do something differently. Whether by inspiration or desperation, I developed a principle-based approach to my work.

The Key Issues: Planning and Time

I realized that without buy-in from my team, my plans would fail. People need to feel ownership over an idea for them to be motivated to execute it. When I tried to plan and execute everything alone, the results weren’t successful.

Another major issue was time. In large stores, we were constantly reacting to immediate needs—there was no time for long-term planning.

This led me to a simple but powerful conclusion: people are smart, and they need to be trusted to use their own judgment and take action. In order to delegate effectively, I had to trust them. But trust could only come after teaching and training them properly.

The Secret to Success: T3 + D + F2

I developed the T3 (D) F2 method for delegation. Here’s how it works:

1. Teach – First, I taught my team the principles and processes they needed to know.
2. Train – Then, I trained them and set clear expectations for their roles.
3. Trust – After teaching and training, I trusted them to execute the tasks—though, of course, I could never be completely sure of success right away.

However, even after teaching, training, and delegating, failure still occurred. Why? I discovered I was missing two key elements: follow-up and follow-through.

The Importance of Follow-Up and Follow-Through

After delegating tasks, I learned that I had to follow up. Did my team understand the mission? Were they on track to meet expectations? Without timely follow-up, I found myself reworking tasks, retraining, and repeating lessons.

Follow-up is about verifying that the task is on track and meeting expectations. Follow-through is the final step: acknowledging good work. It’s about saying “great job” and celebrating success, whether with a quick “thank you,” a snack, or a conversation about what went well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, effective delegation is more than just handing off tasks. Without teaching, training, trust, follow-up, and follow-through, delegation leads to frustration. However, when you invest in developing your team through these steps, you will not only achieve success but also job satisfaction and a better work-life balance.