Here are all of your detailed instructions. I see you’re nodding, so I guess we’re good to go!
I talked him through the whole process
Getting close to the opening date for a sports facility means a lot of last minute work to do. I was excited to have a new person join the team!
One very specific way that he could help, was to be the point person when the swimming pool scoreboard was delivered and installed. A couple weeks beforehand, we sat down together, and I talked him through the whole process. He nodded his head attentively throughout, and at the end, he didn’t have any questions.
I was stunned (and miffed) at how little he remembered
However, when the day came, I got word that I was needed on the pool deck.
My new staffer was as keen as ever to be helpful, but he not only didn’t recall details, it was as though he was hearing me say things for the first time. I was stunned, and a little miffed.
But I was also sensing that I was part of creating this situation.
I had made a lot of assumptions!
I had assumed that his nods meant that he truly understood, but perhaps they were simply reflexive nods that his attention was on me.
I had also assumed that no questions meant that everything was clear, but perhaps it meant that he didn’t understand enough to craft a question.
And overall, I had assumed that one detailed conversation was all we needed.
We can all miss details, even with the best intentions
The scoreboard installer was very patient and easy to work with, and by the end of the day it looked amazing!
My own grade for delegating something, was less than amazing.
Why did I completely believe that one conversation was sufficient? We can all get instructions – by reading a guide, watching a video, or listening to a trainer – and quickly forget the whole thing, because we were distracted, hungry, tired, whatever! It can be comical how many times I end up rereading a recipe!
It’s the image of that moment, standing on the pool deck, surrounded by electronics, and two faces eager for guidance, that reminds me of the need for checking in and repetition.
What might help?
So here’s an exercise to strengthen your delegation muscle:
- Today, identify a responsibility that you are delegating to someone else.
- Then, review the method you’re using to first transfer the responsibility.
- Then, every day this week, try a different way to repeat some key points and context. Perhaps it’s sending an email, having a conversation, forwarding an article, asking questions, or telling a story.
- At the end of the week, consider how the responses differed from each method, and how you feel about the effectiveness of your delegation.
