Even leaders can be taken advantage of. Leaders who are kind, generous, conflict-avoidant, tolerant, and too busy can be exploited by those who want to get their way. When some team members know a leader has a particular weakness or character quality, they can use that vulnerability to their advantage.
Some would say I'm a recovering highly accommodating leader, so I have some experience with this. From the AL platform, Throwing Problems Back and asking How Questions help. Also, being very specific in your expectations and how work gets assigned. In my experience, direct reports that do this are 'over delegators' - A leader will assign a task to them, and they will delegate the task to someone else (especially if they have direct reports). That is okay in some instances, but when I want someone to do something, get state specifically that I'd like that person to do the work and not delegate it. Yesterday's field note on repeat back messaging helps in this situation too.
Where is the platform of behaviors that David is referencing?
I've somehow been around long enough to know the difference between a behavior and a principle, but not long enough to know you have them in a list somewhere.
I had a coaching client with a team member who was delegating up. The team member was not conscious of his transgressions. The reason he was delegating up was that he was afraid of making mistakes. My client and I created a strategy that focused on assuring the team member understood his responsibilities and my client’s empathic attitude toward honest errors that they could both learn from. By implementing this strategy, he halted the upward delegation while the team member gained self-confidence almost immediately.
He brought it up to me as a frustration that he could not get his work done. We looked at the direct report’s behavior as stemming from a limiting belief. Once we did that, we were off to the races.
I see this a lot too. In my experience, the reason they are afraid of making a mistake is because they should know how to do X, but they don't. They've gotten by by delegating these types of tasks to peers or direct reports as they've progressed through their career. They think, I know I should be able to do this, but I don't and I don't want to look dumb in front of my boss. It can be a tough situation to handle. I've worked with people to let them know that I know they don't have a ton of experience in area X. My expectations are not that they will perform it at the same level as their peers who have a lot more reps/experience. But that they give it their best shot, that I'm here to support them along the way. And that the goal is not to become an expert in it, but to reach the level of what I like to call functionally literate - bascially good enough to get by.
How have you seen a highly accommodating leader best practice declining a delegated task coming up to them?
Some would say I'm a recovering highly accommodating leader, so I have some experience with this. From the AL platform, Throwing Problems Back and asking How Questions help. Also, being very specific in your expectations and how work gets assigned. In my experience, direct reports that do this are 'over delegators' - A leader will assign a task to them, and they will delegate the task to someone else (especially if they have direct reports). That is okay in some instances, but when I want someone to do something, get state specifically that I'd like that person to do the work and not delegate it. Yesterday's field note on repeat back messaging helps in this situation too.
Great to see you referencing the specific behaviors of admired leaders, David.
You obviously spend time reviewing and working on the +100 behaviors detailed in the platform.
Where is the platform of behaviors that David is referencing?
I've somehow been around long enough to know the difference between a behavior and a principle, but not long enough to know you have them in a list somewhere.
Please tell me more.
Hi Jennifer.
Most get started here:
https://explore.admiredleadership.com/v2
If you have a team of people you’re asking for, you’ll end up chatting with Nicole or Wes to make sure we are landing in the best spot for you.
Sounds like you have never encountered the unscrupulous colleague who intentionally manipulates this?
I had a coaching client with a team member who was delegating up. The team member was not conscious of his transgressions. The reason he was delegating up was that he was afraid of making mistakes. My client and I created a strategy that focused on assuring the team member understood his responsibilities and my client’s empathic attitude toward honest errors that they could both learn from. By implementing this strategy, he halted the upward delegation while the team member gained self-confidence almost immediately.
Morning Dr. Salvucci
Was your client so accommodating as to not even bring up this issue on their own? Did someone else need to flag it for them?
He brought it up to me as a frustration that he could not get his work done. We looked at the direct report’s behavior as stemming from a limiting belief. Once we did that, we were off to the races.
I see this a lot too. In my experience, the reason they are afraid of making a mistake is because they should know how to do X, but they don't. They've gotten by by delegating these types of tasks to peers or direct reports as they've progressed through their career. They think, I know I should be able to do this, but I don't and I don't want to look dumb in front of my boss. It can be a tough situation to handle. I've worked with people to let them know that I know they don't have a ton of experience in area X. My expectations are not that they will perform it at the same level as their peers who have a lot more reps/experience. But that they give it their best shot, that I'm here to support them along the way. And that the goal is not to become an expert in it, but to reach the level of what I like to call functionally literate - bascially good enough to get by.
Good morning,
Boundaries in our personal and professional lives are important. As is accountability and responsibility.
Thanks for your time.
Always good to see you, Joe!
We took 15 minutes to discuss today's Field Notes entry in a bit more detail.
Listen here: https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1yoKMwYnwEWJQ?s=20