Quick Summary
We start our careers as individual contributors and over time we need to be able to hand off work to others. Unfortunately many times people disappoint us, and we fall back into the idea that “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” This is NOT true. There is an easy way to begin to shift work to others, and still have it delivered on time with the right quality. This presentation walks you through a process you can use as soon as you leave.
Presentation Outline
- We need a new mental model. Up to now we’ve been successful because of our individual effort, and we are conditioned to think that it’s the work we personally do that matters the most. The new model allows us to recognize the value of what we deliver through others.
- The old plan doesn’t work. People don’t “just know what to do.” We have to teach them every little thing. In the past we’ve tried to hand off. We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of thinking, communication, and “do overs” and we just give up. We need a new plan that makes it possible to get good quality work from team members in a timely way.
- Personalized application. Using a simple 3 phase approach, you hand the work off. Phase 1: Start together – for the first 20% you do the work with the other person. Phase 2: On their own – the next 70% is work that THEY do. Phase 3 – Finish together – the last 10% of the project you do as a team.
This approach lets you do the first 20% plus the last 10% – just 30% of the overall project. It’s not perfect – you still have to do some of the work, but the person you’re training does the majority of the work, and you still get good quality and timely results.
Target Audience
Any group or team where attendees need a new way of thinking about delegation, about setting priorities, or about doing the “important stuff” will get a huge benefit from this session. I delivered this to the Project Management Institute’s Global Congress North America 2015, and attendees (who depend on their ability to delegate) loved it. If your team is overwhelmed with too many tasks, they can probably benefit from this approach that builds skills across your organization and makes critical time available to the more senior team members so that they can focus on the really important work.
Possible Formats
This presentation can be delivered as a keynote, workshop, or half-day seminar. Keynotes can range from 30–70 minutes, depending on your needs. The ideal keynote length is one hour.
Intended Outcomes
- Participants will reflect on their thinking about what it means to deliver work for your company.
- They will evaluate the approaches they have taken to delegate work and train team members
- They will understand a new approach for delegation that is easy to remember, easy to implement and works the way people want to be led – collaboratively.
Topic Authority
- I have held a Project Management Professional certification for more than 15 years. I’ve worked in small and large teams and I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. This approach is one that I used with my teams, and I’ve coached my clients to leverage it successfully as well.
- As a Founding Partner in the John Maxwell team, for the last several years I have been an executive coach working with teams in multi-billion dollar companies and have seen over and over again how implementation of these principles transforms culture and addresses key challenges that people are facing every day.
