How to delegate anything

MOST PEOPLE SUCK AT GIVING THINGS AWAY.

Here you go. An entire chapter from one of my books.

BRIDGE

1. What

You are standing at the edge of a river with ten people who have appointed you as their leader. The bridge is damaged. If five people cross over without it being repaired first, the bridge will collapse once they have crossed, leaving the rest of your group stranded. It is sunrise. At sunset, grizzly bears hunt in the very place you are gathered. If you do not get everyone to the other side by then, they’ll be in great danger. You cannot afford to fail.

2. Who

Your group is made up of:

1 in a wheelchair

1 who is 8 months pregnant

1 who is an engineer

2 who are excellent swimmers

1 who is a comedian

1 girl who is very tall and strong

2 who are very young, small, and physically weak compared to the rest

1 with a terrible attitude

Take out a pen and write next to each of the above:

1 advantage to having them in your group. 1 challenge they present.

Leaders need discernment. They need to be able to see the potential in their groups, but also be aware of potential challenges. The best leaders know how to turn the challenges into advantages. Here’s an example.

Many years of my life have included involvement in Young Life, a faith-based mentoring organization. At most Young Life week-long camps, the 300 or so students are taken on a hike. Usually, it’s a day-long adventure that starts in the center of the camp and lasts 5 or 6 hours as the group is led up a considerably difficult trail to a scenic overlook. I’ve seen teenagers make it all the way up that you’d never expect to see hiking. It’s pretty much magical at the top, with wide expanses of wilderness for miles in front of you. Seeing some of these students up there takes the moment itself and intensifies it. 

Sometimes, students with limited physical abilities attend camp, and since we wanted every kid to have the opportunity to experience the magic of the summit, no one was going to be left behind. One year a cabin full of teenage guys and their adult leader actually carried a girl that was normally confined to a wheelchair up the mountain in a makeshift stretcher. It took them much longer than the rest of the group. They were exhausted, but the cheer that arose from the crowd when they arrived at the top was enough to give anyone chills. They then carried her all the way down. I’m sure the girl was thrilled and honored by the gesture and enjoyed her moment at the top. Think about these guys, though. It was an opportunity to do something memorable. Something meaningful. Something life-changing. Something selfless. What seemed to be a disadvantage for the group as a whole turned into a wonderful moment in these students’ lives. Their leader’s vision catalyzed mattering for his guys and belonging for this girl. Beautiful and powerful.

3. How

Since this is a book on leadership, I want to give you a blueprint for the steps you should take to accomplish anything with your followers. Many books have been written about achievement, but here we’ll see a plan that will encompass more than merely finishing a task. Throughout this section, I suggest many ways to make sure that all your followers know and feel that they matter and belong.

DISCUSS

As you consider the people that make up your group, what is your first move? The smartest thing to do from the outset is to gather them. Immediately join forces. Don’t let a single person feel left out. Bond them together with you and with each other. This gathered time should be both omnidirectional and bidirectional. 

Omnidirectional: You need to create an opportunity for everyone to look at each other and be on the same level. Everyone should be validated and known, not just by you, but by everyone else. This could be as simple as wearing name tags, or as involved as taking an overnight retreat with them. As you respect them by giving them a voice, they’ll respect you for your humility. 

Bidirectional: There must also be time for you to talk and for them simply to listen and understand. Let them ask questions. Make them repeat important points back to you. Summarize the essentials at the end of this time.

In our bridge scenario, time is very limited and failure is not an option. Get right to the point. Most times, though, you’ll have more of a cushion when it comes to the length of the gathering, but please, please don’t hold people hostage in meetings while you drone on and on about inconsequential details.

At the bridge, you can’t sit around for hours on end. Time is of the essence. As the leader, you must discern the right amount of time to invest in your gathering stage. Gathering is imperative. Your hidden advantage as the leader during this time is that you’ll immediately gain insight into personalities and character traits. 

When you’re the leader, keep in mind that there are actually three types of dynamics within your group.

1.     You and the group as a whole

2.     You and the individual members

3.     Individual members and each other

       You are responsible for all three, all the time.

If one member has an issue with another member, it’s your responsibility to manage it. If two members are making another feel horrible, it’s your responsibility to handle it. That’s what a leader does. I’m not saying you need to have your nose in everyone’s tiniest issue, but you must be aware of and foster synergy within your group.

DECIDE

You basically have three options for how to accomplish this goal today:

Repair the bridge

Build a new bridge     

Find another way across

If you were in this situation, put those in order by which seems the best choice. Put a 1, 2, or 3 beside each solution.

This is where decisions must fall to the leader. Do you lead the group to vote and have a democratic outcome? Do you pull aside the brightest members and ask their opinions? Do you simply decide for the group with no one else's input? None of those answers are wrong if you have the group’s best interest in mind. Remember that you’re the leader for a reason. The group needs you to lead. There is in fact a real problem that must be solved, and you don’t have a lot of time.

DEFINE

A great leader knows how to clearly explain the final goal. I’ve heard this step described as “defining the win.” How does everyone know if progress is being made? How do they know when it’s over and if they were successful? In some situations, like in a soccer game, it’s obvious. Whoever has more points when time runs out wins. Great leaders know how to define goals when they might be hard to pinpoint.  

DELEGATE

You can’t do it all on your own, and as a leader, you shouldn’t. Your group needs you to lead them. Give the tasks away. Give the responsibilities away. Then make your way around the group, checking in with your team as the tasks are being completed. I’d encourage you to get your hands dirty with them. Offer guidance and/or advice for their specific task when necessary. Be careful to do this with the right attitude, though. You want to encourage and not discourage them. You should also pinpoint other members with leadership skills or influential personalities. Hand off supervisor-type responsibilities to them and trust them to be wise with their duties. Let them oversee sections of the group. Make sure you make it clear to those that these leaders oversee that you’ve put them somewhat in charge. Have these supervisors field questions and sort out problems on your behalf.

Here’s my mantra for you when it comes to this:

Either stop doing everything yourself or accept that you are merely a hard worker, not a leader. Leaders delegate.

DEPLOY

Tasks now need to be completed to accomplish your goal. Send everyone out with passion and purpose in your voice. Give them a strong reason to believe that they matter and belong to the group.

Applebee’s was a great place to work. The managers were always easy for me to get along with. One thing I appreciated about them was their mobility throughout their shift. When one person gets behind in their duties at a restaurant, it’s called being “in the weeds.” Each time staff members were “weeded,” a manager would jump in with them at their station. Cooking fries, making salads, washing dishes, busing tables. The way they knew when someone was weeded was by constantly making their way from place to place around the restaurant, checking in. Sometimes they’d merely observe without engaging in any conversation. If a person at a particular station was getting behind, the manager would roll up his or her sleeves and carry some of the load for a few minutes.

After you deploy your members, you need to stay connected to them and help when you can. Just do NOT get stuck for an extended period of time with one or two members. Two things will happen. First, the members that you’re not with may (and sometimes rightly so!) feel that you don’t like them as much. This could be hazardous to your leadership. People who feel neglected and out of the loop will start talking to each other...about you. Always. And it’s rarely positive talking. Second, another member may get “in the weeds,” and you’d have no idea. If one person gets behind, it will eventually affect the whole group’s progress.

DEBRIEF

When the day is done, when the work is done, whether you accomplished your goal or not, you must bring the group together to discuss what happened. Remember this imperative point, though:

Praise individuals PUBLICLY and criticize individuals PRIVATELY.

Shaming someone in public almost never has the effect you think it will have. In fact, it usually backfires.