Delegation and Empowerment

Delegation is a developmental process for both the delegator and the delegatee. It's built upon a two-way relationship. The style and substance will differ depending on the chaining capabilities, commitment and need of both individuals - as well as specific circumstances.

Capability: knowledge and skills. Can be gained by training, experience and education. Can be developed with appropriate direction and support. It's not something that you are born with - it is something that you learn. Example: Everyone can learn how to deliver on their accountabilities and objectives.

Commitment: A combination of confidence and interest/enthusiasm for doing something well. It can't be taught, but it can be ignited (understand their motivation, recognition and reward)

Low Capacity, High Commitment (new hire)
Low Capacity, Low Commitment (re-org)
Moderate to High Capability and Variable Commitment (long time)
High Capability, High Commitment


Help Others Be Successful: Check in Questions
Tell me what is going well?
What are you learning about yourself?
What are the challenges and how will you overcome them?
What should we change?
Can I throw an observation your way? I have a sense that maybe ... is there anything to that?
How are you progressing?
What's causing this?
What support can I give you?
I don't have the answer to ... let's figure this out together.


Assess: Prepare before delegation discussion

Clearly define the work to be delegates and why it's important.
How will success be measured?
What capability is required? What commitment is required?
What resources, support, training does delegator need to provide?
Timelines, is it sufficient? aggressive?
Who has the capability now?
What current strengths can they leverage?
What new things will they learn/develop?


Responsibility: Jointly discuss, gain clarity and mutually agree on responsibilities

How much decision making authority does delegated have?
What and when would there be escalation?
How will delegator support, monitor? How often?
How will we communicate progress? How often?
How will delegator support, recognize, and reward?

Action Plan and Execution: Driven by delegates

What is the work?
When will it be completed? Is the date firm?
How will you do it?
How will you measure success?
Additional information and resources
Check in, listen, support. Go back to Assess as required.


Debrief: After work completed

What were the outcomes?
What did we learn?

Emotional Intelligence

Self awareness:

We judge ourselves by our intentions.
Others judge us by our impact.

Intention -> Emotion -> Impact

Emotional Hijack Consequences
- Loss of perspective and ability to think creatively and strategically
- Imbalanced focus on tasks over our relationships
- Close-mindedness and reduced ability to adapt and think flexibly
- Binary thinking (right/wrong, yes/no) creating blaming and victim environments

pre-frontal cortex: cognitive
Amygdala: emotional, 100x faster, 18mins to cool down

Emotional management:

Stop and Label (take a break)

Oxygenate (deep breath)

Seek Information (self first and then others)

Real or perceived threat

Replace certainty with curiosity

ask questions to clarify situation

What drives emotions? (SCARF)

Status - success

Certainty - safety

Autonomy - control

Relatedness - included

Fairness - dignity

Emotional Connection:

Bridging Conversations

1. Start from their side of the bridge 

2. Look for solutions, Label, Listen

3. Understanding gap

4. My understanding of the situation.

Value Cards

• Unsolicited Input
• Positive Attitude
• Personal Sacrifice
• Prompt Replies to Request
• Empathy
• Feedback
• Support
• Extra Effort
• Passion
• Sound Advice
• Vision
• Acceptance
• The benefit of the doubt
• Suggestions
• Basic Information
• Respect
• Warnings and Words of Caution
• Encouragement
• Trust
• Innovations

Feedback Fundamentals

1. Data (the facts, the objective truth, unarguable)
2. Feelings (mad, sad, glad, ashamed, afraid)
3. Judgments (Your interpretation of what's going on)
4. Wants / Needs (a crisp clear request of what you want)

TERA

The neuroscience of engagement starts when our brain scans for clues about whether a situation offers risk or reward.

Increase the TERA factors to trigger a reward response and increase engagement.
Decrease the TERA factors to trigger a threat response and decreased engagement.

Tribe
Your sense of security with others
Brain asks: Are you with me or against me?
Increase by: Checking in at start of meetings
Decrease by: Maintaining a "professional distance"

Do:
Be mindful of tone
We/Team
Big picture
Social outings
Foster safe env

Don't:
Play favouritism

Expectations
Your ability to predict the future
Brain asks: Do you make it clear or confusing?
Increase by: Creating milestones and expectations
Decrease by: Firefighting and lack of plans

Do:
Measurable
What does success look like
Realistic
Clear

Don't:
Change scope

Rank
Your relative importance to others
Brain asks: Are you higher than me or lower?
Increase by: Asking questions, inviting participation
Decrease by: Giving advice or feedback

Do:
Side by side talk
Share my thoughts
show opinion counts
recognition

Autonomy
Your sense of control over events
Brain asks: Do you limit me or liberate me?
Increase by: Managing by objective (not task)
Decrease by: Micromanaging and limiting choice

Do:
Trust (empowered)
Big picture
Flexibility
Ask more than tell
keep in the look

Don't:
micromanage
hide information
tell me what not how

3 perspectives

Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) suggests that you can't fully understand a situation until you've seen it from three different perspectives

From your perspective
- The easiest place to stand
- Your point of view on what's going on
- What are your feelings. judgments and desires?
- Often mistaken as "the truth"

 From their perspective
- Stand in the shoes of the other person
- What do you notice from this perspective?
- What are the judgments. the feelings and the wants/needs that they might have?
- Increases empathy and understanding
- Lessens the "black and white" of a situation

From the "fly" perspective
- Imagine being a fly on the wall. watching the interaction between you and them.
- What do you notice from here?
- What are the patterns of behavior? what are the roles that are being played?
- Increases the awareness of the system beyond the individual players.

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing there is a field. I will meet you there" - Rumi. Persian poet

Giving
- clear message
- be open to 2 way feedback
- paint a picture, examples, analytical
- tailored
- built the collateral and create the rapport.
- constructive

Receiving
- ask a lot of questions, provide feedback
- comfortable, open minded, open body language
- eye contact
- listen more than we talk
- be curious


"In theory theory and practice are the same. In practice, they aren't"