The following appeared in the September 2009 issue of Kaplan Virtual Education’s monthly newsletter. (KVE was the Division of Kaplan Education, a subsidiary of the Washington Post that was later sold to K12, Inc.)
The Art of Delegation
– from an interview with Matthew Levy, CEO, Results Management Group
Matthew has worked closely with KVE management for the past six months, guiding employees as individuals and teams toward greater vision, clarity, alignment, collaboration, and committed action. In the following article, he shares his insight on effectively communicating requests and promises to achieve better results.
Do you ever not get the desired results when you assign a task or project? Have you ever had someone ask you to do work or an assignment without being sure about what is being asked of you? Do you ever get those emails that say, “Can you review?” with a document attached but without context, due dates, expectations, specs, or parameters?
Ever receive a “forwarded” email, where the sender says “see below,” and the recipient is meant to scroll through the string and determine what action is required?
Whether intentional or not, the message here can be that “my time is more valuable than yours.” In almost every case, sharing the info upfront will save everyone time and money. If we all agree on some basic details and communicate them as standard operating procedures, we will become more efficient, effective, and productive.
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His points below focus on clarifying expectations for team leaders and team members and provide a quick, straightforward guide for those tasked with delegating projects.
Topics to cover when agreeing to produce a result or be accountable for something:
1. RESULT: What is the specific desired result?
2. DATE: By when must it be accomplished?
3. WHO: Who are you delegating to?
4. PARAMETERS: Are there specific requirements or parameters related to how it is accomplished?
5. PLAN: Do you want an execution plan created? By when? Containing what?
6. COMMUNICATION: How/when do you want to receive communication about progress?
7. INPUT/INFLUENCE: What decisions do you want to be a part of, and how do you want to be involved?
Shoot us a note to start a conversation about what next-level results look like for your company.
