Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had conversations with executive leadership teams, parents, soccer coaches, and midlevel managers that have focused on how to help others succeed. To a person, they were struggling with how to know when to be hands on and when to be hands off. At one of those meetings, an executive said that they use the what, what and how, and how continuum—which looks like this:
When deciding how hands on to be, a good question to ask yourself is:
- If I tell them what the results are that I want them to achieve, will they know how to do it?
If they will, let them figure out the how.
If they can’t do that, ask yourself:
- If I tell them what the results are that I want them to achieve and how to do it, can they take it forward successfully because they understand the results needed and have guidance on the how?
If so, tell them the what and then guide them on how to get those results.
If they can’t do that, ask yourself:
- If I tell them how to do a specific task that needs to be done, will they be able to do the work that is needed?
If so, be very specific about the steps involved in the how. Then assess if, with direction and coaching, they can do the work.
If not, consider whether they are the right person for this particular task, job, or role.
These are a powerful series of questions for both managers and parents alike.
Think about it like this:
- How: If you have a child who is in 1st grade and they have homework, it is likely you need to tell them how to do their work.
- What and How: In 5th grade, you will likely be able to tell them the results they need to achieve (for example, a paper on the Mississippi River) and you will probably have to provide some guidance on how.
- What: By 11th grade, you will likely be able to tell them the results you want them to achieve (i.e., writing a paper on the three branches of government) and they will be able to understand how to do that.
- What and How: But when that same 11th grader needs to get funding for college, you may give them the what (i.e., we want you to be able to get as much money as possible through grants and scholarships so you are not in debt), but you will also probably need to help them with the how of putting together a grant/scholarship application.
We think that this framework is closely aligned with situational leadership and it gives some pretty easy questions to ask yourself when delegating work to others. Let us know how you use it.
Hugs,
Your Coaches and Allies at Carpenter Smith Consulting
Like this post? Pop in your info below to have more like it sent to your inbox every week.
[mc4wp_form id=”5863″]