DELEGATINg

Each of us have a different style. Even when we are aligned on WHAT (needs to be done) and WHY (it needs to be done), we often have a very different approach to HOW (it needs to be done).

There is a delicate balance between prescribing the HOW vs. letting our teams carve out their own HOW. If you prescribe the HOW you risk taking away accountability, and if you give a complete freehand on the HOW then you risk having different parts of the organization being run like many small disjointed parts rather than a cohesive mothership!

Experimenting over the years, I have gleaned these 3 things about delegating the HOW.
1. Org. Maturity: A more mature org has set policies that offer some boundaries under which the HOW can be customized vs. a less mature org. offers more room for it.

2. Task Criticality: There are tasks that are mission critical to a firm's success/ DNA, and do not allow for differences in HOW by function/ BU. In contrast, there are other tasks that maybe important but we can do with (or even benefit from) having a differentiated 'HOW' by team.

3. It's a give and take between you and your team to achieve a healthy balance of how much of the 'HOW' to delegate or not. Too much on either side makes for a lop sided relationship