Category Archives: Delegation Skills

Break the Project Down

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“How could you work differently?” I asked. “How could you work differently, and be more in control?”

“I am working as hard as I can, what more can I do?” Curtis resigned.

“I am not asking you to do more. I am asking, what can you do different?”

Curtis’ head moved back and forth. “It’s a complicated project. I can’t just turn it over to my team. This is way over their head.”

“I know, the Time Span of the project is appropriate for your role, AND it contains several hundred hours of work. So many hours, you cannot possibly, single-handedly perform each step.”

“I know, I know,” Curtis nodded in agreement. “There are four distinct phases to the project and we haven’t finished the first one, already behind schedule.”

“The Time Span of the entire project is appropriate for your role. What is the Time Span of each of the four phases?”

I could see the light emerging in Curtis’ eyes. “I think I see it now. As long as I am performing every step, I can only work through step by step. But, there are lots of things that can be done out of sequence. If I break things out, maybe I can get some help.”

“And what if you broke the entire project out, so you, personally, self-perform nothing?”

Spinning Out of Control

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“It’s funny,” Curtis observed, “sometimes, after hours, it is quiet and I ask myself, why am I here? I should be home with my family, but there is still so much to be done. And if I don’t take care of some loose ends, something critical will blow up tomorrow.”

“Do you think you are the only manager in the world that is thinking that thought?” I asked.

Curtis chuckled. “You know, you’re right. So, why does it happen?”

“You tell me,” I replied.

Curtis had to think. He had been so busy working, that he never thought about what he was doing and why he was doing it.

“I feel guilty,” he finally responded. “I am responsible. It’s up to me. I guess I bring it on myself.”

“And if something doesn’t change, about the way you manage this department, what will happen?”

“I am already seeing the chinks in my own armor. I feel tired every morning. I stopped working out because I don’t have time. I feel like I have a cold coming on. But the harder I work, the more things seem out of control.”

“Think about that,” I said. “The harder you work, the more things seem out of control.”

Forgetting to Block

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Curtis was very uncomfortable. “You make it sound like I am in big trouble. But isn’t this what management is all about? I mean, aren’t I the one who is supposed to make all the decisions? Aren’t I the one responsible for all the results?”

“You are accountable to your boss for the performance of your team,” I replied. “But between you and your team, it sounds like you are responsible for making up all the plays, calling the plays, taking the snap, throwing the football, catching the football, running for the touchdown. Did you forget to block?”

“Yes, but it’s not that bad.”

“It’s not?” I asked. “Who was here all day last Saturday? How many hours a week have you been putting in?”

“Well, when you put it like that, I was here, 58 hours last week,” Curtis reported.

“And whose fault was that?”

“Well, there was just stuff I couldn’t get done during the week. I have a lot of responsibility.”

“And how much responsibility does your team have?”

Watching for Years

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“So, when I have to delegate a project to one of my technicians, I might really have to change the way I look at the Time Span of the tasks?” Marcus observed.

“How will you make those changes?” I asked.

“I am always looking at things in terms of the system, the whole system. I guess I will have to break those systems down into segments, individual processes and methods.”

“How will you know you have segmented the system into appropriate project assignments, task assignments that match the capability of your team members?”

“Time Span,” Marcus nodded. “Time Span is the key. The key to measuring the complexity of the tasks and the key to measuring the capability of the person. The hat trick is to get a match.”

“How will you know?” I pushed. “How will you know you have a match between the person and the task?”

“Actually pretty easy when you think about it. As a manager, I know how long a task should take. And I know the capability of the person.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I am their manager. I have been watching their problem solving and decision making for years. As their manager, I can make that judgment.”

Time Span Shoes

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“If you can measure the Time Span of the project and you can measure the Time Span of the team member, how is that helpful to you, as a manager?” I asked.

Marcus laughed. “Obvious isn’t it? If I know the Time Span of the project, why would I want to assign it to someone without the capability?”

“But you just described the difficulty of assigning a project. What criteria did you use before you selected the person?”

“You mean the person with the deer-in-the-headlights look?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

“I guess I didn’t think. Seemed simple to me, but I guess not so simple for someone else.”

“What will you change as you think about projects you are handing out?”

“My problem, I was thinking about myself, my own Time Span orientation. That’s why the project looked simple. I have to really put myself in the Time Span shoes of the person I selected.”

How Big is the Project?

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“Sometimes, I get push-back from my team when I try to delegate a task,” Marcus complained. “I mean, I can tell when someone is just lazy, they don’t last on my team anyway. But sometimes I get push-back that seems like a lack of confidence, especially when it’s more of a project than a simple task.”

“Why do you think that happens?” I asked.

“Sometimes, it’s the deer-in-the-headlights look. It’s not fear that I see, more like an immediate wave of being overwhelmed. And to me, the task sounds simple.”

“So, it doesn’t sound simple to the team member?”

“I guess not,” Marcus continued. “But I can’t figure it out.”

“Could it have something to do with Time Span?”

Marcus had to stop. We had talked about Time Span before. “So, when I give someone a big project to do, that’s why I get push-back?”

“How do you measure the size of the project?” I pressed.

“You’re right. A big project can be measured by its Time Span,” Marcus concluded.

“And the capability of a person can be measured in the same way.”

I Never Checked On It

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Glen was working late. “What’s happening?” I asked.

He was staring at a project book. I realized he was not in a jovial mood. He took in a long breath and a measured exhale. I could see the blood boiling behind his eyes, betraying his exterior composure.

Finally he spoke, “I thought this project would be done by now, but it’s not. It is due at the client tomorrow morning at 8:00, and it is only half finished. My team let me down.”

“Who was the project leader?”

“Andre,” he replied.

“And what did Andre say?”

“It’s the funniest thing. He said he knew the deadline was tomorrow, but since I never came around to check on the project, he didn’t think it was important anymore, so he didn’t start on it.”

“So, where is he now?”

“He is actually finishing a different project from another Project Manager, in Kansas City. So it looks like I will be here until midnight.”

“So, tell me, Glen. What happens to the importance of any project when the manager fails to follow its progress?”

“I know. At first I was mad at Andre, but it’s my own fault. I had set some follow-up meetings and just blew them off. Now I have to pay.”

“And next time?”

“Next time, I will make the follow-up meetings, instead of having to finish the project on my own.”

Fixing Accountability

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“Who creates the Action Plan?” I asked.

“Well, I do! I’m the Manager. I know what needs to be done. I create the Action Plan,” Ellen shouted from the back of the room.

We were talking about delegation.

“So, you are working with Brian. You describe the Vision, the Goals for the project and the Guidelines?” Now I was looking straight at Ellen.

“Yes!” she replied.

“Then, you tell Brian, here are the steps, 1-2-3-4-5?”

“Yes!” she repeated.

“And Brian goes out and he completes steps 1-2-3-4-5. And the project fails.” I stopped and peered over at Ellen. She was a little surprised. She didn’t like the idea that her project could fail.

“So, Brian completes steps 1-2-3-4-5, the project fails. Who is accountable for the failure? After all, he followed your Action Plan step by step.”

All eyes turned to Ellen. “Yeah, but.” Then she stopped. “I guess if it was my plan, Brian is going to say it was my fault.”

“Yes, he will. The accountability will fall to you. And where do you want the accountability?”

“Well, I want Brian to be accountable.”

“So, who creates the Action Plan? You describe the Vision, the Goals and the Guidelines, but who creates the Action Plan?”

“I guess, Brian,” Ellen said quietly.

“Exactly, if you want to fix accountability on Brian, then Brian has to create the Action Plan.”

What is the Purpose for Delegation

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Emily was already in the conference room when I arrived.

“So, what’s the purpose for delegation?” I asked.

“That’s easy,” Emily replied. “To save me time. I have a lot of stuff going on.”

“And if you are able to effectively delegate, what does the team member get out of it?”

Emily looked puzzled. “Well, I guess.” She stopped. “I guess, maybe, that they learn something new.”

“Good, learning is good. What else?” I probed.

“Well, new. Something new would be more interesting. Maybe learn a new skill. Maybe a sense of accomplishment, pride?”

“Good. Now tell me, Emily, do any of those things have anything to do with time?”

“Well, no.”

“So, what do they have to do with?”

Emily was tracing the conversation. “Learning, interest, new skill, accomplishment, pride. Sounds like learning and development,” she finally concluded.

“So one purpose for delegation is to save you time. Delegation is your most powerful time management tool, and it is also your most powerful learning and development tool.”

The Right Kind of Time

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“I told them. I followed up with them. I reminded them. And they still didn’t do it,” Emily complained.

“So, these assignments, these delegations, where did the meetings take place?” I asked.

“What meetings?”

“The meetings, where you explained what you expected, you know, the parameters of the delegation?”

“Well, we didn’t have a meeting. I am really busy. I make these assignments on the fly, in the hallway, on the floor. I have a lot of things that I have to juggle,” Emily replied.

Emily was right. Even now, we were having this conversation in a large workspace next to some equipment that was making an awful racket.

“Emily, I know this is important to you and it is important to me, too. Is there a better place we can have this conversation? A place that is a little quieter?”

“Yeah, no one’s ever in the conference room. But I really don’t have time. Can’t we just talk about it here, now?”

“Emily, this is important. If it is important enough, we have to create the time and we have to create a proper place to talk about it. Meet me in the conference room tomorrow morning fifteen minutes before shift. We don’t need a lot of time, but we need the right kind of time.”