- hace 5 meses
En este breve video, Sanyin Siang, columnista de MIT SMR USA, revela por qué muchos líderes aún lo hacen todo ellos mismos y sugiere un simple cambio de mentalidad para delegar eficazmente.
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00:00¿Has ever set el objetivo de delegación más? ¿Y cómo se ha ido para usted?
00:04Yo he identificado muchas tareas que son apropiados a handoff,
00:08pero de alguna manera me acabo de hacerlo mismo, y sé que no soy solo.
00:12I sat down with Sanyin Xiang, who writes our Ask Sanyin column,
00:17para encontrar cómo se aborda esto con la C-suite executive que trabaja con.
00:21Ella agreed que delegación es un punto de pain, pero en nuestra conversación,
00:26Sanyin reframed this for me.
00:28As she pointed out, delegating isn't just about managing your workload,
00:32it's actually key to developing your team.
00:35If you're not letting go, you may be holding other people back.
00:39This isn't really about training people on tasks,
00:42but about teaching them how you solve problems.
00:45That can change how you approach delegation,
00:47as more of a collaborative exercise and knowledge sharing.
00:51Here's our conversation.
00:56Wonderful to have you here in person, Sanyin.
01:01We're going to talk about delegation.
01:04We think that is one of the major pain points.
01:07I know it's a pain point for each of us personally,
01:09and I think it's something that we hear from managers everywhere.
01:13I don't delegate.
01:15I know I should.
01:16I personally had a goal to delegate more last year.
01:19I think it's the one thing that I fell down on.
01:22So let's talk about what is behind that difficulty.
01:25There's two major obstacles that I'm seeing.
01:29And by the way, let's just be clear.
01:30As I'm talking about this, I also have trouble delegating.
01:35So one is we're vulnerable when we delegate
01:38because we hold the scorecard for the delivery,
01:41but yet we have to give up aspects to other people
01:45to be able to also deliver what we're holding the scorecard for.
01:51That's about giving up control.
01:53And in a world of uncertainty, in a world of time crunches,
01:57that control is so valuable to us.
02:01So how do we give up a little bit of that control?
02:04What would give us the comfort level in giving up that control?
02:08So that's one.
02:09Let's hold that thought.
02:10The second aspect is something I hear people say over and over again.
02:15I have a hard time delegating because I don't have time
02:19to make sure that they're doing it right.
02:22Ooh, time is a huge factor.
02:26And then that they're doing it right.
02:28All right.
02:29That's about control.
02:31I have to be vulnerable.
02:32If I give it up, they have to be doing it right.
02:35So ultimately, that's also an issue about our trust in them.
02:39And it's not that we don't trust their intentions.
02:43It's do we trust that they have the same level, standard of excellence that we have?
02:49Two, we may not know what their capabilities are or the full range of their capabilities,
02:55especially when we're going to a task or a project that has very low precedence.
03:01So do we trust their skill sets?
03:04Do they trust their capabilities?
03:06And then three, do we trust that they have the right context to understand what is the floor
03:13and what is the ceiling?
03:15Do we trust that they have the parameters for the good judgment calls?
03:20And when we sit down and we think about giving up control,
03:23when we think about time and we think about these three aspects of trust,
03:28it can feel overwhelming.
03:29So we can actually unpack the how do we address that.
03:34Right.
03:34Well, and I think that this also speaks to the issue of when we're uncertain about our team's skill sets,
03:43that pushes another little something we don't do enough button,
03:48which is have I developed my staff?
03:51Have I developed my team to the extent that they have those skills?
03:55And both of those things together catch us in a bit of a web.
04:00Because how can I trust that they have the skills?
04:03If I, as a manager, haven't been able to make the time to really focus on skill development.
04:10So let's give the audience, the viewers, the punchline before we even go further down in this conversation,
04:17which is you can't develop without also delegating.
04:21So one of the things is we don't know what their capabilities are or what their range of capabilities are.
04:27And one of the things that we have to do when we think about that is start by giving them projects are low risk.
04:35Yeah.
04:35Because we aren't even open-ended, but you are exploring.
04:39So in my own personal team, one of the things I am exploring is LinkedIn has completely changed.
04:47Social media has changed.
04:49Explore how we take this piece of content and make it really resonate with the audience.
04:55So I share that with one of my team members.
04:57Here's what we're after, but I'm not going to be prescriptive because I don't know the prescriptions yet.
05:05But I want to see what you come back with.
05:07So I just give that open-ended.
05:09They come back and I can now realize, wow, you were really, really good at analysis.
05:16You are excellent at trial and error and testing, experimenting.
05:22Ooh, but you're not very precise.
05:25Maybe it's the wording or the framing or communicating what you have learned.
05:30So in the process of that, I'm also observing.
05:35And I'm also giving them feedback on, this is what I'm seeing you do great.
05:40Keep on doing that.
05:41I hadn't thought about that before.
05:43Ooh, this part, I know you don't realize you have to do well, but actually it's really important for you to be able to do well.
05:53And in order to develop, in order to delegate, you actually have to understand where they are at first.
06:02Right?
06:03So that's such a key part of that delegation and development is understand them.
06:09Start from where they are.
06:10Right.
06:11That does lead to another point, though, when I think again of my own issues with delegation, is getting an understanding of sort of where they are.
06:21And I've certainly done that.
06:22I've been like, well, let's just see how he or she does with this and toss it out there.
06:26And sometimes I've found that when the results aren't what I wish they would be, I'm at a loss.
06:33I think what's missing there for me is how do I teach?
06:37I know how I would do it, but there's a big gap between that and really kind of, you know, how do you begin to convey that knowledge to somebody else?
06:46Help them take a trip inside your head.
06:49Yeah.
06:50We may have a hard time understanding and starting from where they are, but even when we are able to do that, there's one more step, which is we have to think out loud.
07:00And this is a part that's within our control.
07:02Yeah.
07:02Right.
07:03For ourselves, for a lot of high achievers, by the time we say something, we feel it has to be perfect.
07:10Yeah.
07:10It has to be known.
07:11And there's also the pressures of being in that leadership position where we feel like, oh, we have to be clear about the direction.
07:20We have to have a vision on day one.
07:21We have to have absolute clarity on what we want to do on the prescriptions when we actually don't because we're in a period of uncertainty.
07:30But here's where that's an advantage, if you know how to think out loud.
07:36Right.
07:37So you can go into a meeting and you can say there is a teammate that you want to delegate to and whom you are also developing and you know where they're starting from.
07:49You can talk through the problem that you're trying to solve.
07:53You can say, all right, here's what I know.
07:56Here's what I don't know.
07:58By the way, I'm not even sure what we're aiming for yet.
08:02That takes a great deal of vulnerability.
08:04But it helps.
08:05I'm not sure what we're aiming at.
08:07But here's how I'm thinking through it.
08:11I'm at this decision point A or B.
08:14And here's something about A.
08:16What do you think?
08:17And they're asking questions.
08:18And you want them to ask questions because that might lead you to understanding, ah, I didn't realize how I was communicating here.
08:27It wasn't absolutely clear.
08:29So I need to double down on clarity here.
08:31And now you're co-creating and having that shared context.
08:35Well, it's a very different model than I think what most of us think about when we think about delegating.
08:40And I think I certainly feel the pressure to deliver a perfect set of instructions to somebody.
08:47The whole package of, like, here are the tasks, here are the things, and sort of deliver this beautifully communicated, well-thought-out thing.
08:55But what you're proposing is actually very different, that we are going to sort of find our way to this thing together.
09:01I think a lot of times in our head, when we think about delegation, we immediately think about tasks.
09:08Tasks, by their nature, have to be efficient in terms of time.
09:12And therefore, we're trying to hit the level of efficiency and the level of clarity and the level of objectives.
09:18But what if we reframe delegation as let's figure out how to be better together in the context of what we're trying to achieve, of our mission as an organization, our mission as a team?
09:34Because then it's about conversation, right?
09:37In medicine, how physicians teach their apprentice, the residents, or the medical students, is they take them with them to look at patients, patient rounds.
09:52Now, they're going to be hit with uncertainty all the time because patients, you don't know what might come out.
09:58But what they're trying to understand is that patient and their case history, but what they're modeling for their students is not only what's said, but it's about how it's done, right?
10:12And what we want in that idea of talking out loud, when we understand where they are, is let's figure out also the how together.
10:25Because the how is sometimes the hardest part, or even what we're trying to achieve.
10:32This is about relationships.
10:33Yeah.
10:34In this whole idea of creating shared context, we have to be so much more intentional about that now.
10:40And how can we be more intentional about that?
10:43Here's where we have to be more intentional about saying, I don't have the answers.
10:49Here's what we're trying to figure out.
10:51Here's the data I don't have.
10:52And guess what?
10:53Context goes two ways.
10:55From where they sit, they also have invaluable context.
10:59Yeah.
11:00And data that can help shape your, maybe your pulse on what's happening in the organization.
11:06And you're inviting them to this conversation where you're asking, what do you think?
11:14That is how you develop.
11:16Right.
11:16And when you're developing, that's how you can let go of that fear of, do they not have the right context?
11:24Do they not have the right skill sets?
11:26Or do they not have the right level of excellence?
11:31Because when you're developing, then you can let go and truly delegate.
11:36Right.
11:37And you're really creating sort of a virtuous circle here, too.
11:39Mm-hmm.
11:40Because in all of these exchanges, you're building trust.
11:44You know, that's the first go around.
11:45You're building trust in their abilities.
11:47And then as you develop into this sort of process of co-creation, they are trusting that their contribution is important and valued.
11:56And, you know, they're not simply a recipient of your wisdom.
12:01They're learning to trust you as a leader as well.
12:04When we're thinking about, I don't have time to develop them or make sure they're doing it right, we're thinking about time in the short term.
12:12Yeah.
12:12But when we're developing and delegating, that's how we scale ourselves, too.
12:17Right.
12:17And that's how we gain time in the long term for us to continue to grow and develop and scale so that they can do the things that we used to do, so we can do the things that we need to learn how to do.
12:33Yeah.
12:33And I love the way that you talked about this not necessarily not being at the task level.
12:40Right now, I think there's so much in work culture, especially with AI and sort of contingent workforces.
12:51And there's such a temptation to sort of break work down into tasks when really we're starting by looking at the problem holistically with another individual.
13:06Yes.
13:06And I think there are many of us who are parents and leadership, all great leaders are also people developers.
13:15And as parents, we're developing our children.
13:17Yeah.
13:17And I think the analogy here is we know what the answer is when we're trying to teach our kids a math problem.
13:24Yeah.
13:24It's five.
13:25It's ten.
13:26Mm-hmm.
13:27But if we just say, here's the answer.
13:31Yeah.
13:31And not thinking through our thought process, they're not going to be able to learn.
13:36Right.
13:36Right.
13:37The process in any scientific or mathematic answer is actually key to conveying to the teacher that they're getting it, that they actually understand the material.
13:51Right.
13:51We just have to be like that student.
13:54Yeah.
13:54And share out our thought process.
13:55Yeah.
13:56It's understanding that what you're, perhaps what you're delegating is a problem, not a job.
14:01I mean, everything we're talking about here, it's actually, this is our relationship.
14:05Right.
14:06How many times have we looked at a topic and then I'm learning from you, like, what do you think?
14:12And then we're flipping around and we're like, what do you think?
14:14Yeah.
14:14And that's how, because we're trying to solve for the reader the thing that can help them be more effective at leading.
14:24Yeah.
14:25Be more effective, create healthier organizations where everybody can contribute, which is also what we're trying to do here is make room for people to contribute.
14:33Yes.
14:34Because I think that has been a side effect of, in organizations where I've seen where delegation doesn't happen, there's a certain greed to not delegating, you know, of you're sort of holding everything and giving other people an opportunity to really contribute and to show that they can step up.
14:51It's that fear, right?
14:52Fear rather than generosity.
14:55Right.
14:55And when we're delegating and developing, and I love what you just said, give people a chance to contribute, that's how we create truly powerful, human-centered leadership, human-centered organizations.
15:11Absolutely.
15:12Sanyin, thank you so much for coming in today.
15:15It's lovely to see you and have a great conversation.
15:18Oh, I always learn so much from you.
15:19I feel that the column and our conversation today is proof of our thesis about the power of relationships and working together.
15:27Absolutely.
15:28My key insight from this conversation, we're not delegating tasks, we're delegating problems.
15:33And that requires a completely different approach.
15:36Sanyin's Thinking Out Loud transforms delegation from a handoff into a collaboration.
15:42Instead of providing a set of instructions, you're sharing your thought process and building solutions together.
15:48Try it with your next project.
15:51Rather than packaging everything up neatly, bring someone into your problem-solving process.
15:57Ask, what do you think?
15:58And see what happens.
16:00For more leadership insights, explore this playlist, tackling management challenges from industry leaders.
16:06Thanks for watching.
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