FireFly Facilitation

Imagine being invited to a friend’s house for dinner. You arrive with an appetite, excited to see what’s on the menu. Your host begins the meal by serving light salad of fresh vegetables, and the two of you chat about the day at work.

Having dispatched of the salad, you look forward to the main course. Five minutes pass, and then ten more. Although you’re enjoying conversation, your host still hasn’t served another dish. As your stomach begins to rumble, you wonder when your friend will realize that he/she has forgotten to bring out the next round of food.

Finally, your host clears away the salad bowls, and you prepare for the arrival of a long-overdue entrée. However, something curious happens. Instead of being served a plate of pasta or chicken, you’re treated to a small cupcake—and that’s it!

An Agenda with Substance

Many meeting-goers can relate to our confused, underfed dinner guest. They show up to a conference room expecting to take part in something substantial, but nothing of consequence is ever discussed. When the meeting adjourns, they feel as if their time has been wasted, and they wonder why they were asked to come in the first place.

The world moves faster than ever, and people’s time is precious. Respect your coworkers and clients by making sure your meetings are meaningful. Before asking for a slot on everyone’s schedule, I would suggest creating a pre-meeting checklist.

• Is it absolutely necessary to meet in person, or could information be passed along in an email?
• Do I have clear objectives to accomplish at the meeting?
• Does the meeting’s objective really require a group decision?

Until you can answer, “yes” to all three questions, don’t schedule the meeting. Otherwise, you’ll frustrate your employees by frittering away their time.

How many species of fireflies would you guess there are in the world? 10? 50? 100?
Would you believe that in the United States alone there are 170 species of fireflies? More than 2,000 species inhabit the globe! Who knew a seemingly simple insect could display so much variety? And yet, how much more complex and unique are each one of us? How much greater is our capacity to shine brilliantly as one-of-a-kind human beings?

I do not imagine biologists could have discovered 2,000 species of fireflies without careful observation and close study of their differences. Likewise, one glance won’t clue you into the unique gifts inside of those around you. It will take time to learn what makes them tick and where they fit best on the team. However, if you’re observant, I guarantee you will be amazed by, and tremendously thankful for, the richness of diversity you’ll find.

Each November, do retailers decorate for Christmas earlier than they did the previous year? I almost feel like the malls and storefronts have forgotten all about Thanksgiving! Sadly, our treatment of the holidays seems to symbolize our approach to life—we rush toward the future without pausing to be grateful for today.

This Thanksgiving, slow down and show appreciation for the diverse talent on your team. Celebrate the unique contribution each person makes to the group. The more you discover, affirm, and combine individual strengths then the stronger your team will grow. After all, can you imagine how hopelessly unproductive your organization would be if every person had identical skill sets?

As you cast shared vision and build a common culture, be careful not to force everyone into the same mold. Your goal is to bring people together, not to make them the same. However, to fully encourage the uniqueness of your teammates, you must be able to see each person’s individual giftedness.

Have you ever had a manager thoughtlessly pile a mountain of work on you? If you have, then you’re familiar with “dump truck delegation.” And you know it stinks.

When you’re already juggling assignments and trying not to drop anything, it’s exasperating to have your boss toss more balls into the air. Especially, when you don’t know why the work is important, how to do it, or how your performance will be measured.

Instead of empowering their people, many leaders unintentionally trigger discouragement by the way they delegate. I’ve noted three toxic byproducts that surface after dump truck delegation. Each can be dangerously destructive, which is why I’ve termed them the “Deadly I’s”.

The Deadly “I’s” of Dump Truck Delegation

1) Insignificance

In hurriedly handing out to-dos, leaders neglect to explain the value of the work they’re delegating. Consequently, the person on the receiving end may not see the importance of what they’re being asked to take on. Overwhelmed and underappreciated, the designee may feel like a lowly grunt—someone who does the dirty work that isn’t worth the manager’s time.

2) Incapability

Dump truck delegators infamously bypass training. They divvy out work without offering guidance on how to accomplish it. As a result, they render their people incapable of doing what’s asked and set them up to fail.

People feel distressed when they lack the instruction or resources to do their jobs. Incapability gives them a sense of hopelessness, and they have trouble making any progress at all. On top of that, they may not seek help because they don’t want to appear needy or unknowledgeable.

3) Insecurity

Dump truck delegators do not take the time to define success for the work they’ve distributed. Accordingly, the people left shouldering the workload have no idea of what constitutes a job well done. Unsure of how their performance will be measured, people become insecure. No one, particularly in a slumping economy, wants to fall short of an employer’s expectations.

Without clear goals to guide them, people invariably let down the boss. Underperformance only adds to their insecurity. Soon, a vicious cycle has developed in which insecurity breeds failure, which leads to even greater insecurity.

Doing Delegation the Right Way

Dump truck delegation paralyzes your people and provokes resentment in those you lead. The unintended consequences of delegating poorly can wreck your team and halt your dream. How do you avoid the Deadly I’s? How can you delegate the right way?

Here is one practical suggestion to get you started down the right path:

Before delegating, draft a quick email describing what you’re delegating, outlining when it needs to be done, listing the goals of the project, and noting any relevant information that you need to pass along.

After you’ve delegated, update your email with any changes and send it out to the person you’ve delegated to. This accomplishes three purposes:

1. It forces you to have a game plan instead of delegating on the fly.
2. It clarifies expectations, goals, and deadlines.
3. It serves as a reference point for both parties. It’s amazing what gets forgotten during the course of a busy day. A written record helps keep projects from slipping through the cracks.

After delegating to your team, they should feel empowered and essential. However, all too often leaders leave their people feeling dumped on, frustrated, and inconsequential.

Here’s a quick list of suggestions to keep in mind when distributing work to those you lead. By applying these tips, you’ll be able to accomplish more by getting the best from the people reporting to you.

1) Frame the assignment in a positive light

Cast vision for why the project has value, while casting vision for the value the person brings to the assignment.

2) Budget time to teach and train

Hurry undermines your efforts to delegate in two ways. First, when you’re rushed, you’re likely to forget to communicate much-needed instructions. Second, when moving with too much haste, your nonverbal cues tell the person you’re training that they’re not valuable.

3) Give permission for your people to ask questions or request assistance

Don’t assume the people on your team have residency inside of your brain. They don’t share your vantage point or inside information. Pause to bring them up to speed on a project by sharing its background and context, and let them know that you’re available to help if they encounter snags.

4) Avoid micromanagement

You can’t do it all by yourself, so don’t try. Spending time looking over the shoulders of those you lead is not only inefficient, but it also de-motivates your team by discounting their abilities.

5) Provide Accountability

In the words of Ronald Reagan, “trust but verify.” From the outset, make clear the results you’re expecting and the ways you’ll measure them. Then, follow-up periodically to make sure tasks are on track.