A Leader’s Clarity; The 5 Keys to Enhancing Your Clarity When Delegating Tasks!
Andre Young
Leadership & Work/Life Harmony Speaker, Author, Leadership Trainer, & Founder of You Evolving Now, LLC
As a Leader, how many times have you delegated tasks and the outcome not come back as you expected, leaving you frustrated, aggravated, irritated, and ready to do everything yourself? Yes, we’ve all been there… and not only is it NOT Leadership to do everything yourself… it’s also NOT Leadership to assume you gave clear direction! This has happened to me numerous times, when a project is completed, the work is good, but not what I fully desired or anticipated, and the first thing I must assume (as a Leader) is that I wasn’t clear… and we’ll get into the following Key Steps in a bit.
I was inspired to write this thanks to my youngest son, Mase. He’s a quarterback and he asked if I could take him and his wide receiver teammate out for an off-season workout. For non-football fans, the quarterback throws the ball and the wide receiver catches it. I watched my son tell his receiver to run a specific route. His friend said, “Ok”. My son retorted, “Do you know how to run the route?”. The receiver looked confused. So, Mase verbally explained it and ran the route for him; explaining what the route was, the best way to get open, what to do if the defense is in this or that, why running the route a certain it makes the throw easier for him, and how it protects his teammate from a BIG hit. I was blown away watching my son Lead and the clarity he exhibited… A true Proud Papa Moment, Lol!
I’ve also seen this while conducting Leadership Trainings within organizations. The Boss says, “My people know how to come to me” or “My Team knows what to do”… and the Boss says it with full pride in their leadership and trust in their people; but the truth was and sometimes is… their People really don’t know how to best approach them, their people are doing things the way they’ve always done them, or the best way for them, or… simply winging it! Sometimes your People's way is good, great, or better… but sometimes YOUR WAY is the expectation! So, how do you enhance your clarity, your Leadership and work/Life Harmony, and its impact on your People?
Request Your Vision!
There are times as a Leader when you’re in full control of a project, the vision of the project, you have full authority, and you’re excited about it, passionate, and all in! There are other times you just argued in a meeting about how dumb you thought the winning idea was, your idea lost, and now you have to present the company’s or someone else’s vision to your Team. In either case… Be Mindful… When you’re “All In “and excited, it’s easy to believe everyone sees the completed picture you see in your head… they don’t; it’s your job to be painfully detailed, all while allowing them to creatively and effectively utilize their professional superpower to be great at what they do!
In the latter case, when it’s not your idea and you’re not excited… Be Mindful! Your Team may match your energy and put that same level of energy and dedication into the task as you put into sharing it with them. When I conduct any training at an organization; especially my ongoing trainings… I share the importance of Leaders being clear with their Team/Staff that attendance is an expectation and is an investment from the company in their professional and personal development.
One BIG thing I’ve learned over the years… no matter how good a training or anything is; when it’s offered as optional, it will be treated as optional! Surprisingly, it’s not only “The Grouches” on your Team that won’t show up and deliver for you… it's by majority your “Inspired & Motivateds”. Why? They are addicted to their “Busy” and crossing things off their list… your Vision or presented Project, when presented as optional or without passion and necessity, or with unclear guidelines will only clutter their list… and you’ll lose them, their best effort, and your success as a Leader… Be Mindful!
Be Clear!
When initially sharing your Vision and reviewing completed work from a Direct Report or Employee… BE CLEAR! For me, it’s What’s the purpose of the project or product? Who is it for? What keywords or phrases are a must? When to stay on brand and when to deviate a bit? The flow I want the readers/recipients/customer/client to experience? What pics and videos to use and why?
For you, what’s most vital for you to be clear about? What’s a must and why? What can they be creative with? My process has been to share the flow of work I desire, keywords and phrases to add, color scheme, and I trust my Team on the rest… with a meeting upon completion to get on a Virtual Call to “Take it to the Doctor”. At that time, we discuss any possible fine-tuning, the what’s, and the why’s before sharing it with the world!
Don’t Assume!
Now that you’ve shared your Vision and your Team is on board… don’t assume anything! Don’t assume they see your finished project in your head the same way you do or the steps it takes to pull it off! Don’t assume they know how to do it. Please don’t assume they have the bandwidth to handle the new endeavor with their current workload. Just as my son asked his receiver to run a route, sought confirmation, saw confusion, then became a mentor and coach… never assume!
For me, I call this process, “Let’s take it to the Doctor!”. I’m honored to be a Professional Speaker, Leadership Trainer, and have entrepreneur friends… and that comes with a lot of brainstormed business ideas and new potential products to offer. The first thing is idea formation, the next is sharing it with my Team, and asking:
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These are a few questions that allow you and me to share your vision, not assume, and to effectively lead your people and project! “Taking it to the Doctor” may also benefit you as you Lead your Direct Report, your Team, Sales People etc. When I worked Sales, in Mental Health, and played sports… the coach, boss, or leader that cared enough to make time and take to evaluate, understand, address, support, and add skills was priceless! Typically, a Boss will do one or two of these… when you do them all, you’ll separate yourself, increase connection, commitment, and results!
Authority Span!
Have you ever bought a car? You know the experience of going into the dealership, selecting a car, the incredible test drive, the readiness to sign the paperwork, then everything goes downhill; tainting the experience as you sit for hours with a person who keeps popping up from the desk to go as the Magical Wizard of Oz in the back! Uuuhhhggg… I never understood why I couldn’t simply talk with the Wizard in the back office instead of the person right in front of me! My point is… when your people are positive, passionate, and productive enough to assume tasks and projects… Be sure to give them a reasonable Authority Span!
How much leeway do they have in being creative? What “Yes’s” and “No’s” can they give? Up to what dollar amount can they make decision before coming to you? Up to what timeframe can they confirm before checking with you? My Assistant, Nichole, The World’s Best Executive Assistant and I are undergoing this process on a BIG new project we have underway. She’s heading it up and all I’d like to be responsible for are the “Yes’s and No’s”. To make the process positive, powerful, and enjoyable for her… I need to be clear in my Vision, ask what she’s comfortable with, not comfortable with, and be sure she knows her authority span… allowing her to come to me with some things, not EVERYTHING! It’s also important for the client to know Nichole is an extension of me and the same level of professionalism we have is imperative to be extended to her! This is done as the Client, Nichole, and I all engage in initial emails and a brief part of the first meeting to effectively pass off Leadership!
Follow-Up & Fine-Tune!
Choosing to follow-up is Management; EXPLAINING the “Why’s” of fine-tuning is Leadership! Once you’ve ensured clarity; it only makes sense to follow-up with your People. I prefer asking one simple question at the end of or during check-ins and 1-on-1 Meetings… “What was your Biggest Takeaway from our meeting today?”. Letting them say what’s important to them and what they took from it has never ceased to amaze me! A Member of my Webteam once said her Biggest Takeaway was I said “No” to a step most of her clients say “Yes” to. Perhaps this question can be of value to you; along with:
This leads us to Fine-Tuning! This step makes your “Yes’s” powerful and your “No’s” meaningful! When you agree with your people’s work say “Yes” and tell them why. They may not have connected the dots or see the bigger picture of how their great work impacts not only this project, but other people, departments, customers, etc. When you fine-tune or say “No” explain why and how it may be outside of the Vision, Vision Factors (the 3-5 things when done consistently, the vision has to come true), how it may be off-brand, and ask how’d they fine-tune it, possible share how you’d fine-tune it, or scrap it to best move forward. These are the enlightening learning lessons we may take for granted but are the lessons your People may not have learned in school, have not known before working with you, and now get to take with them… Be Mindful!
You now know a bit more about A Leader’s Clarity! Remember, knowing something new, without applying that something new, can never lead to anything new? What was your biggest takeaway and what homework are you giving yourself to enhance not only your Leadership & Work/Life Harmony, but also that of those you’re leading?
“Choosing to follow-up is Management; EXPLAINING the “Whys” of fine-tuning is Leadership… Be Mindful!” – Andre Young
Written by: Andre Young
Looking to impact your Organization, Leaders, Teams, and Employees with a Leadership & Work/Life Harmony Training or Speaker? Click www.youevolvingnow.com to connect, chat, and customize with Andre Young!