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In today’s episode of the Leader Fluent Podcast, I’m talking about, “Delegation in 3 Simple Steps.” Delegation is critical, but it also requires an intentional process. In this episode, I’ll share three simple but profound steps to help you delegate effectively.
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SHOW NOTES:
Delegation is a critical part of leadership. Not only does delegation allow you to create a sustainable pace, but it also helps you cultivate a people-development culture.
One of the greatest delegation examples in Scripture is the story of Moses and Jethro. One day Jethro, who was Moses’ father-in-law, came to visit him. After watching Moses carry out his duties, he said these words: “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?” (Exodus 18:14, NLT).
Notice how Moses responds to Jethro’s question: “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions” (Exodus 18:15-16, NLT).
Jethro could have patted Moses on the back and said, “Wow, sounds tough. I’ll pray for you, Moses.” Instead, Jethro looks at Moses and says, “This is not good!” Isn’t that what you’d love to hear your father-in-law tell you?
But then he told him why it wasn’t good. He said, “You’re going to wear yourself out – and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself” (Exodus 18:17-18, NLT). So, what does effective delegation look like? Consider these three steps.
1. PRIORITY ASSESSMENT
Delegation doesn’t begin by giving anything away. Instead, delegation begins by determining what NOT to give away. You have to start by identifying your priorities so that you know where to focus your time and energy. That’s what Jethro did with Moses. In Exodus 18:19-21, Jethro basically told Moses to do three things:
- Be the people’s representative before God
- Teach the people God’s decrees
- Select capable leaders
In other words, Jethro helped Moses identify his highest priorities before he ever delegated a single responsibility. And we have to do the same. How? Start by asking yourself three questions:
- What are my job requirements?
- What are my greatest strengths?
- Where do I get the greatest return on my investment of time?
Your answers to these three questions will reveal your priorities. However, where your answers overlap and intersect reveals your highest priorities. Then, once you’ve identified your highest priorities, create a second list with everything that you should delegate.
2. TEAM EMPOWERMENT
Team empowerment is all about empowering your team with responsibilities and opportunities. It’s handing off the things that fall outside of your highest priorities and entrusting them to your team. So, where do you start? Start with the four “A’s” of delegation. What are the four “A’s” of delegation: Assignment, Authority, Accountability, and Affirmation. The first “A” is…
- Assignment: Who should I delegate these responsibilities and opportunities to?
- Authority: What authority do I need to give to the person I’ve delegated a responsibility to?
- Accountability: How do I need to hold accountable the people I’ve delegated responsibilities to?
- Affirmation: How can I best support and encourage the people I’ve delegated responsibilities to?
Without these four steps, you’ll have nothing more than order takers. Captain Michael Abrashoff once said, “If all you give are orders, then all you will get are order takers.” Empowerment is about much more than giving people orders. It’s about much more than telling people what to do. It’s giving people responsibility combined with authority, accountability, and affirmation.
3. MONKEY MANAGEMENT
The concept of “Monkey Management” was made popular in a book by Ken Blanchard, Bill Oncken, and Hal Burrows titled, The One-Minute Manager Meets the Monkey. In their book, “Monkeys” represent any next move (or next step) you’ve delegated to another team member.
“Monkey Management” is the process of keeping monkeys (or next steps) on their rightful owner’s back, rather than letting the monkey return to your back. In their book, The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey, the authors articulate The Four Rules of “Monkey Management.”
Rule #1: A boss and a staff member shall not part company until appropriate “next moves” have been described. Monkey management begins by identifying the monkey (the next steps).
Rule #2: The dialogue between boss and staff member must not end until ownership of each monkey is assigned to a person. The authors observe that, “All monkeys must be handled at the lowest organizational level consistent with their welfare.” Every monkey needs an owner.
Rule #3: The dialogue between boss and staff member shall not end until all monkeys have been insured. “Monkey insurance” (as the authors call it) is designed to make sure your team only makes affordable mistakes. There are two types of monkey insurance policies: Recommend, then act OR act, then advise. In other words, depending on the situation, staff members should either:
- Recommend solutions, acquire your feedback, and then act on the best solution, OR
- Act and then advise you of what they did so that you’re in the communication loop.
The level of risk determines which policy to implement. And the more trust you build with your team, the more they’ll be able to act and then advise.
Rule #4: The dialogue between boss and staff member shall not end until the monkey has a check-up appointment. What’s the purpose of a monkey checkup appointment? First, a check-up allows you to catch people doing something right, and then offer praise and encouragement. Second, a check-up helps you spot problems, and then take necessary action to correct the problem before it turns into a crisis.
As you practice these three steps—Priority Assessment, Team Empowerment, and Monkey Management—the quality of your delegation will naturally improve. When Jethro gave his delegation advice to Moses, he said, “If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace” (Exodus 18:23, NLT).
Think about that for a moment! Imagine being able to endure the pressures of leadership, and to be able to go home each night in peace, knowing that your organization is successfully meeting the needs of the people it serves.
That’s what happened to Moses when he took Jethro’s advice to heart. He followed Jethro’s plan of delegation, and as a result, he was able to assume a sustainable pace and meet the needs of the people. And here’s the good news…what worked for Moses can work for you. You can delegate in three simple, but profound, steps: Priority assessment, team empowerment, and monkey management.
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