In a recent Ceo2ceos.com forum, the CEO of a small company sought advice on how to delegate tasks to his team in a way that increased their buy-in, generated predictable (and favorable) results and demonstrated (or created) a renewed sense of urgency among his employees.
CEOs must, of course, focus on execution and immediate results but they must also understand how best to challenge and develop their workforce not just for maximum engagement but for retention too.
In working with CEOs on leadership and management effectiveness, I see this issue often — in any size firm — as the race is on to not only attract but more importantly, to retain talent that can solve the problems of today while also anticipating and innovating ahead of tomorrow. Retention comes from engagement but engagement comes from being invested in the work.
Delegation is one tactic but delegating without clear expectations and without also cultivating critical thinking and problem solving skills will likely result in incomplete or misguided results. In a complex, fast-paced, ever-changing, uber competitive global marketplace, misfires are costly in terms of time, resources, morale and then engagement. So, just telling others what to do is not going to get it done.
Instead — and this is a dtkDistinction — I always ask clients to take a more systemic view which gives us a three dimensional look at not only the issue but the context, the current reality, the alternatives and the eventual options.
Okay, then what?
As a CEO coach and professional development expert, it’s imperative that leaders challenge their employees on two levels: first, from the boots on the ground, issues of right now perspective and second, from that 10,000 foot landscape view. Both are important and neither is complete without the other. The two views combine to create a bigger, better whole than the sum of the parts.
On a practical level, leaders at whatever level can accomplish this by:
– first and foremost expressing clear expectations: where do you need to get to, what will successful completion look like, what is the urgency, what’s at stake
– cultivating critical thinking skills: asking open-ended questions, exploring not why but how strategies are set and conclusions are reached
– asking what might get in the way of successful completion
– determining what resources may be needed: this encourages thinking ahead, planning and anticipation.
– setting real, achievable milestones along the way: this allows for small and frequent course corrections. Much more productive, much less painful. Milestones promote success, as only small and reversible mistakes are made. No milestones? The setback isn’t to zero, it’s to negative territory.
All this said, every situation and every company is different which argues strongly for customized solutions. Again, our large, complex, global marketplace regularly presents uncommon and unprecedented issues that demand our best solutions. Ones we haven’t even thought of yet so the idea is to invoke everyone’s best, most creative and innovative thinking. This is the essence of what my firm brings to the business community. Our work with CEOs helps identify patterns, see through blind spots, anticipate issues, create solutions and chart a path that executes in real time within the context of their longer term vision and strategy.