How can you coach an executive to improve delegation skills?

While coaching executives to improve their delegation skills , I focus on helping them reflect on their limiting belief ( fear, insecurity, need for perfection or authority, FOMO, "I know it all" syndrome, etc.) , how it is serving them ( the usual answer is - It is not serving them well) and then connecting it with how delegation can help them achieve their larger purpose in life. Self reflection is the key, aided by thought provoking questions that challenge status quo respectfully.

You'll discover loads about why someone does not delegate when you listen for their attachment styles via their Story of Self "I am...." and Story of Others "They are..." "I am (OK) but They are (NOT OK)" = I am insecure about delegating because I see myself as the most trustworthy x distrust their capactity to do it at my level. "I am (NOT OK) but They are (OK)" = I am insecure about delegating because I distrust my ability to delegate well. You must then get them to "rewrite/reimagine" their "NOT OK" stories of self or other into "OK enough" e.g. "I know the work best and they're less familiar" > "I know the work well and they can familiarise themselves if I support them to" They must change their thoughts to change their actions.

I use the Urgent and Important Matrix to help my coachees understand the importance of delegation I build awareness of how delegation can not only help them grow, it also helps them to grow other people I am careful in pointing out that delegation is a double edged sword and can be ineffective and even harmful if utilised in the wrong manner I recommend building trust and developing relationships as a first step and then understanding the skill levels and aspirations of the team members before getting into the actual act of delegating

The first thing that I will do as a coach is to help them become aware of the benefits of delegation and the consequences of not delegating The next thing is to make them appreciate the criticality of having the right skill set for delegating as it is a double edged sword Then, I would assist them to identify their current beliefs about delegating and enable them to change any beliefs that they want to change After this, I would get into discussions about the process to be followed

Ever wondered why some tasks just can't leave your desk? To aid an executive in mastering the art of delegation, it's important to initiate a comprehensive assessment. You dive deep, using specialized tools and constructive feedback, to unfold their existing delegation style and its effectiveness. By pinpointing and addressing the psychological and operational barriers, we illuminate the paths to refine delegation skills. It's about evolving from a 'doer' to a strategic leader, amplifying team potential and organizational growth.

Before setting the goal, ask client's feeling when thinking about delegation. Is there fear, upset, or released feelings? How do you feel when you can delegate to others?

Certainly, helping a client with SMART goals is a valuable approach. Each target should be quantifiable and achievable, aligning with the company's mission, vision, and values. This alignment not only provides a clear sense of purpose but also fosters a sense of belonging and direction within the team. Once these SMART goals are established, the team can create a strategic plan to systematically work towards achieving these targets. This approach ensures that goals are well-defined, feasible, and rooted in the organization's core principles, promoting both individual and collective success.

1. Define Clear Goals and Priorities: Start with well-defined objectives. 2. Assign Ownership: Match tasks to the right team members. 3. Communicate Clearly: Set expectations, timelines, and quality standards. 4. Monitor Progress: Use key indicators to track results. 5. Provide Support: Offer resources and adapt as needed. 6. Recognize and Improve: Reward success and foster open feedback. 7. Adapt to Needs: Tailor your approach to team dynamics.

It is important to collaboratively set specific, measurable, and achievable goals for enhancing delegation skills. These goals can be based on the executive's self-assessment and the insights gained through reflection and feedback. The main challenge will be to make them measurable. The coach must help the executive create an action plan that outlines clear steps they will take to improve their delegation skills. Ensure the plan includes realistic and small milestones and a timeline for tracking progress. This can help define goals and priorities and achieve the outcomes in phases. It is a time taking project.

It's crucial to engage in a focused discussion with the executive to clarify their leadership objectives and identify their key priorities. This involves exploring their overarching goals as a leader, whether they aim to drive organizational growth, improve team performance, or enhance innovation, and understanding their short-term and long-term priorities. This process helps create a roadmap for effective delegation by aligning it with their broader leadership vision, ensuring that tasks delegated serve a purpose in achieving their strategic objectives.

This specific step, while important, it is easier said than done because sometimes you don’t have a choice and you can’t always find the right person for the right task and this is where as an executive, you need to step up and provide coaching while delegating. Some tasks you delegate to the right people and follow up on a high-level, others you need to delegate while coaching.

Delegating is not only a way to take things off your plate. It is a conscious, intentional form of development for people on your team. What can you start mentoring them to do that will allow those on your team to grow and develop and will shift your focus from being the owner of the work to a mentor/ facilitator for others to learn how to take on successfully these responsabilities aligned with their career goals

An important step in delegation is to understand the team member's strengths and weaknesses. The executive must first observe and journal the team members to whom they want to delegate and empathetically understand them at a deeper level. Once they are able to do that, it is important to breakdown the tasks and then map it to their strengths to prepare for delegation. Understanding what motivates the team members is equally important.

The Situational Leadership Model is a good start point. Just figuring out the developmental level of the people reporting to them and hence what leadership style would be ideal to get the best out of each individual can be an eye-opener to most.

The first step is to have complete confidence in your team and let them know how much you appreciate them. Then reach out to each member and confirm their contribution.

Delegation falls sort because clear instructions and expectations are not established in communication. I use a framework created by The Conscious Leadership Group called Impeccable Agreements. Impeccable Agreements clearly establish 4 things: who will do the task, what the task is, by what date/time will the task be complete, and how will completion be tracked. This helps make the delegation of tasks crystal-clear and actionable.

The instructions and expectations MUST come from a place of experience. That's key. If you haven't done these tasks yourself, how can you expect to provide accurate expectations?

Once the mapping is done, what motivates the members will be important to be able to communicate clearly. Everyone is not motivated by the same type of outcomes. For an executive to set the right expectations the task must be well defined and discussed clearly with the people who they are delegated to. There should be a window of backward communication for feedback and changes as required by the team member.

In my experience even tenured professionals need to step back and reflect on the delegation range in a situation - what does excessive monitoring and not letting go mean - what does required delegation look like - and what does abdication look like.

There are lots of great frameworks to help with this. I like this one: STEER ME Situation: What’s going on? What is the context and the need to do something different? Task: What is the job that needs doing? Employee: Who is the right person for the job? Why are they the right person for the job? Expectations: What exactly is required and how/when will progress/success be measured? Resources: What tools and resources will the individual have? How will you support them during the process? Motivate: What will be the impact of this being delivered? Why is it important? Evaluate: What happened? What have we learned? How can we do even better next time?

Regular check-Ins are a must. As a coach try to schedule regular coaching sessions to review their progress and discuss any challenges they encounter. These sessions can also serve as opportunities to celebrate successes. Encourage journaling. Suggest that the executive maintain a delegation journal where they document their experiences, and reflections regularly. This helps track growth and identify patterns over time.

Monitor progress and provide support is a critical aspect of delegation coaching. It involves coaching the executive to establish a system for tracking the progress of delegated tasks and to be proactive in offering support when necessary. Regular check-ins, status updates, and milestone reviews allow the executive to stay informed about the task's development. When challenges or obstacles arise, the executive should be ready to provide guidance, resources, or additional assistance to help the team member succeed. Effective delegation means striking a balance between autonomy and support, ensuring that team members feel empowered and have access to the necessary resources to accomplish their tasks efficiently.

There is an old saying, 'Anything that cannot be measured, cannot be managed'. Measuring success or progress is not only helps while delegating but also keep the motivation levels in check. A lot of time, people jump on to the opportunity by sheer scope of it, to later which they realize that it requires a lot of support and hand holding. Reward, recognize, appreciative on a inch of progress. Hold and plaster the cracks in case it appears during delegation process.

Follow through is very important. With Client's agreement, set up homework after each session and follow up in following sessions.

Offrir de la reconnaissance est un merveilleux levier pour encourager le client et lui diminuer son aversion à la délégation. N'oublions pas que déléguer active un sentiment de perte de contrôle et de l'incertitude. Il est important d'accompagner pour diminuer ces facteurs aversifs. Une écoute active et de la reconnaissance sont clés dans cette transformation du client.

During the evaluation process, it's important to understand that, likely, the person you delegated this to is not going to do it exactly the way you would. The client needs to be okay with that and determine what mistakes they will be okay with and can't because it is detrimental to the mission. Delegating is a form of empowerment, which means it is also an opportunity for growth for the individual. Having a plan to determine how you will react to mistakes or different ways of doing things. The client has a problem with delegation due to control or lack of trust.

Evaluation of what has worked, what has not worked, and what is still not known is a key opportunity for a coach to re-focus the conversation back onto the primary goal of improvement and development. Cultural pressure to succeed can result in a win-or-lose mentality, which a coach needs to mitigate with a win-lose-always-learn mentality. The experience is just that, experience. Learning from experience, both good and bad, means that any intentional efforts aren't wasted.

I think delegation extends beyond mere task assignment. Employing a SWOT analysis is advantageous. For instance, a strength might be a team member's expertise in a specific area, while a weakness could be their limited experience in a particular task. Opportunities might be training team members, and threats could be resource shortages. Using SWOT effectively can help the client improve delegation immensely.

To surface learning you need to reflect on the experience you generated from your action. Simple structure for reflecting on the outcomes and the experiences will help your client discover the learning they need.

Often, I see delegation fail because leaders have unrealistic expectations of what it will feel and look like - they assume people will do things as they did, take on 100% of work without oversight, and become disappointed when someone doesn't deliver to "their preferences." If someone gets the work product 80-85% of the way there and you take it across the finish line with a final review? That's effective delegation. Someone takes a number of small, tactical tasks off your plate but you still have to check in on progress and help them course correct from time to time? That's effective delegation. Setting expectations and standards at the right level, and being realistic with what effective delegation looks like are keys to success.

Its important that the client understands how improving delegation skills will help him/her become a better leader? This can be achieved by asking powerful self reflecting questions on his/her current leadership style, its benefits and improvement opportunities. Once a client realises that improving delegation skills adds value to his/her team, to the client and the organisation, the way forward becomes easy and faster.

Coaching executives in effective delegation is a cornerstone of successful leadership. The process involves assessing current delegation habits, setting clear objectives, identifying opportunities, selecting the right team members, providing training and support, setting expectations, maintaining open communication, empowering decision-making, delegating authority, offering feedback and recognition, monitoring progress, building confidence, linking delegation to time management, personalizing coaching, and measuring progress. Improved delegation skills lead to enhanced team morale, productivity, and organizational success. Delegation is a pivotal leadership skill that drives personal and team growth.

I've long shared the analogy of the backpack. With every promotion, you have to shed activities and mindsets and create room for new ones. What got you there won't take you to the next level. You don't have time to keep doing your long-held tasks. You must lighten your backpack to make room for new opportunities, expectations, and learnings. Your team members are doing the same as they progress, and await you filling their backpacks with new things. Making the concept of delegation "real" can boost your client's understanding of the why, what, and how.

I used it with many coachees - we have to help them to change mindset to start and improve their delegation skill. Upon receiving a new task I'll make them ask not the question "How am I going to do this?", but instead ask the question "To whom can I effectively delegate this task?".