You know you should delegate more. You’ve even started. So why does it still feel like it’s not quite working?
Here are two more ways to help ensure you’re successful using the D.O.D. technique and my fist/palm worksheet.
But first, last week, I wrote about the benefits of delegating (in case you need some convincing) and how to get started with the 5 T’s – tasks that are tiny, tedious, time-consuming, teachable, and terrible.
I shared an example for each T, and a way to delegate that might not be the first thing that comes to mind.
What’s that you say?
Delegation can include ‘delegating’ to a tech tool.
Watch your blood pressure. If it’s just spiked at the mere mention of tech, I promise you, it’s easier than you think.
Today, we’ll take delegation a step further.
We’ll look at the concept of D.O.D. (not dungeons or dragons, but I’m up for other creative acronyms you might have in mind).
And I’ll share an interactive tool I created to help you pinpoint where you might be getting stuck by identifying where you’re making a fist and where you’re making a palm.
Seriously. It’s a fun and easy way to identify where you’re clinging on for dear life and where you may be too blase.
Ready? Let’s dig in.
So you’ve wrapped your head around the benefits of delegation, and you’ve started to think about some T-type tasks you can delegate.
See part one if this isn’t true for you yet.
Is that all there is to delegation?
Nope.
To help ensure successful delegation and you don’t find yourself back at the starting point doing everything yourself, you need two more things.
- Being specific with D.O.D.
- Letting go – well, kinda
Let me explain.
1. Being specific with D.O.D
What NOT to do
Give quick, off-the-cuff, vague directions that lead to confusion, wildly incorrect interpretations, and a hugely high chance of unsuccessful delegation. Not to mention you muttering to yourself, “See? I knew this delegation stuff wouldn’t work!”
What TO do
Be specific with tasks that you’re delegating. Taking a few minutes to jot down detailed instructions will save you a whole lotta time later.
And be sure to include your D.O.D. – Your Definition Of Done. This is Dan Martell’s concept from Buy Back Your Time, Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire.
I have a detailed S.O.P. document outlining all the tasks that my Virtual Assistant team works on. And each task includes a D.O.D. – a description of how to know the task is done.
Here’s an example, from my S.O.P. related to how my team gets these blog posts into WordPress for my review before publishing.
Does it take some extra time to set up? Heck, yes.
Does it save oodles of time later on? Yahoo, and yes to that.
That takes care of what to delegate (the 5 T’s) and how to be specific using D.O.D., but we’re still missing a step.
Our hearts can be willful and wily and get in the way.
Even with a perfect D.O.D. written up, our instincts can still sabotage us.
You may have everything down on paper, but have you actually let go in a productive way? Your fist or palm will tell you.
2. Letting go – with my fist/palm tool
What NOT to do
One sure-fire way to botch delegation is to either:
- Hang on for dear life, micromanage, pester, ask a million questions, check in 100 times, delegate in words only, not through your actual action OR
- Be blase, not check in at all, not accurately describe what needs to get done, provide no feedback, don’t answer questions, etc.
I call these two options fist and palm. Imagine your task that is supposedly to be delegated sitting in your hand, and the following two scenarios.
Fist
Fist is where you hang on for dear life, not allowing any collaboration or delegation. Your hand is in a tight fist, and there ain’t any light or anything else getting in. You have 100% ownership and don’t want anyone messing with your stuff. No way, no how. Nope.
Palm
Palm is where your hand is outstretched, spread widely. The merest whiff of wind and the task will be blown away. This represents not really caring – “do what you want, whatever.” That is, until the results show up and they’re nothing like you wanted.
Fist is too much ownership, and palm is not enough
What TO do
Think about ways to hold your hand so you’re cradling the delegated tasks with enough ownership to provide clear direction and checking in – the mid space between fist and palm.
Use my fist-palm worksheet to help you identify where you might be getting stuck. See others’ examples already recorded of what fist and palm examples look like. Recognize any?
You’ve got important work to do that really makes a difference. You can focus on that, plus create space for relaxing and rejuvenation by successfully delegating the appropriate tasks.
Make the case for delegation for your heart and your head by:
- Identifying your own 5 T’s (tasks that are tiny, tedious, time-consuming, teachable, and/or terrible),
- Creating your D.O.D.’s (definition of done),
- Identifying ahead of time where you might get tripped up by your fist (tasks that you’re clinging onto for dear life) and palm (tasks that you’re not giving enough ownership to and are going to come back and bite you).
Practice makes progress.
You got this!
Put a heart in the comments if you relate.
Hit reply with a heart emoji if you relate.
Here’s how to put this into practice: go on and learn, laugh, and lead
Learn
- Use my Fist/Palm worksheet to help you not get tripped up by taking either too much or too little ownership in delegating tasks
Laugh
- The five T’s (tiny, tedious, time-consuming, teachable, and terrible tasks) are a great start with delegation, but that’s not all there is….
Lead
- Share this post and the first one with a friend and/or colleague (or better yet, your team) and work on delegating like a pro together.
P.S.
- Speaking of that incredibly important work that you do, do you have subject matter expertise you’re itching to turn into a course or workshop? Transformative Trainers Academy will show you exactly how — and make you look like the legend you are.
- Are you a UN staff member who needs to work on your public speaking skills? I’m teaching an online course on May 20 and 21. Grab your spot now. More information, including how to register.
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