Recently, we’ve been talking about delegation. In our post last week called Back to Basics, we talked about how to connect with your team with gratitude, curiosity, and respect.

Then last week, in I Need Help Delegating!, we talked about the three C’s of delegation: context, content, and connection. If you haven’t had a chance to read these posts, take a look – they will up your game!

This week, we want to share some questions we received over the past two weeks along with our answers.

We’d love to know how you’d answer them as well, so if you’re up for sharing with us, please do so.

I’ve done the three C’s and it’s gone great. How long do I need to stay connected?

We know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but as long as someone is doing work at your request, you need to stay regularly connected.

We know that many managers and leaders are not connected to their teams if they can trust that they do their jobs, do them well, and will reach out when there are challenges in doing the work.

But, if you delegate something that is, in fact, your job, and you’ll remain responsible for it, and its success matters to your work, then you need to stay regularly connected – especially as you’re getting feedback, direction, and input on it from your boss.

This has been so helpful. What do I do when the person I’m managing is successfully picking up the work and is now looking to take on new challenges?

One of the great things about delegating well is that you get to see how your direct reports handle a new and more demanding level of responsibility.

If they’re successful, you have the option to decide if what you delegated should remain part of your role, or if your direct report has the bandwidth to add it to their responsibilities.

What do I do if I delegate something, and my direct report blows it?

We believe deeply that if you do the 3 Cs, then it’s not likely that your direct report will blow it. A reminder of the 3 Cs:

  • You provide the Context about how the work fits into the big picture and whether the work will interfere with their other work. 
  • You provide the Content about the work that needs to be done. Discuss things like timing, process, etc.
  • You stay Connected and check in on a regular basis to let them know that in between those scheduled check ins, they can reach out to you with questions or concerns. And if they start to blow it, you’re more likely to catch it early by having regular connections. 

To ensure you set people up for success, be thorough about providing context and content, allow them to ask questions, and maintain regular connections with them throughout.

Keep sending us your questions and let us know how we can support you in creating a successful team!

If you’d like support putting this into action,
contact us today.