There is a humorous scene in the family movie, Despicable Me, where the main character, Gru, asks his chief scientist to make a “Dart Gun”. Unfortunately, Gru forgot to follow-up with his employee, who obviously didn’t understand his expectations. Check out this scene.
When delegating tasks to others, one of the worst things a leader can do is make assumptions, especially with team members who are still new, untested or unskilled in an area. We often assume that, since a person has great character, is competent, and is passionate about our project that we can simply hand them the reins and expect to be amazed. The reality is, unless we check in regularly, it is likely we will see unexpected and often disappointing results.
Why People Fail To Get It Done Right
Following are a few reasons why team members may not meet our expectations:
- The leader didn’t communicate expectations.
Example: A CEO asks a secretary to let the directors know that the board meeting will start a half hour early tomorrow night. She waits until the next morning to send them an email. Since some directors never saw the email, they ended up being late. The CEO didn’t clarify that he needed her to call them TODAY to ensure they all know about the change for tomorrow.
- The leader didn’t communicate values.
Example: A manager asks a team member to host a luncheon for new clients. He clearly communicated his expectations about food, timing and atmosphere, but he assumed they understood his values. The luncheon went fine, but the quality of the food and the excellence of the event was way below the leader’s standards. He didn’t clarify that quality food, details and excellence were important to him.
- The leader didn’t communicate why it is important.
Example: A manager asks an employee to clean the entryway to the business. The employee goes about his normal cleaning activities and tasks. He gets the job done, but the manager wishes he had given this particular job more time and care because the President, CEO and several other executives would be visiting the building later that day. Had the employee understood why this job was important, he may have known to step up his game more than normal.
- The leader didn’t provide the resources to properly accomplish the task.
Example: A volunteer is put in charge of an upcoming fundraiser. The volunteer puts sweat, tears and her own limited financial resources into the project and ends up taking one of her personal vacation days to prepare for the event. Although the event was successful, the volunteer was burned out and uninterested in serving in that role again. If the leader had given the volunteer an appropriate budget and helped to recruit others to assist her, she would have enjoyed the experience and done a better job.
- The leader thinks others will communicate when problems arise.
Example: A pastor delegates the Sunday morning service planning to an elder while he is away on a trip. Last minute, the elder discovers the worship leader is sick and won’t be able to lead worship. The elder scrambles to find someone else, who turns out to be a terrible musician. The pastor assumed the elder would let him know if a big problem like this would arise so the pastor could help troubleshoot the problem. He failed to realize that, in an effort to prove their worth or because they assume they are supposed to be independent, people will often fail to communicate when they should.
Note the person ultimately responsible in each of these scenarios: THE LEADER. It’s easy for us to blame others when things go wrong. We will complain that they “could have” or “should have known better” or “really messed up”. But a great leader will always stop and ask themselves if THEY missed the boat somewhere first. They understand that the leader is the one ultimately responsible for the activities of their followers. The best leaders will take responsibility for follower’s failures and share responsibility for follower’s successes.
One tried and true way leaders can better manage those they delegate tasks to is to remember this simple axiom…
Don’t expect what you don’t inspect.
When we take the time to regularly inspect the work of others, we ensure expectations are clear and healthy communication is happening. This isn’t the same as micro-management. It is simply ensuring things are on track and others are on the same page as we are. This is especially important when (1) we are working with people we aren’t used to working with OR (2) if the task/project we have assigned is something they have never done before.
In both of those cases, we need to regularly inspect their progress and work. Not micromanage. Inspect. Get regular updates. Ask detailed questions about various aspects of the task/project. Ask them to repeat back to us what we are expecting, what we are hoping for, and why it is important. Ensure they know to tell us the moment a problem arises or if they have a need.
Leaders don’t assume! Knowledge empowers leaders to make wise choices. It empowers us to lead well and it empowers those we lead to serve with confidence.
Don’t expect what you don’t inspect. Expect what you inspect.
