Situation: A CEO has a challenge getting employees to take initiative in areas that she wants to delegate. Part of the challenge is that she needs to “let go” and tends to do too much checking in. She is concerned that this results in employees’ hesitation to demonstrate the initiative that she desires. How do you encourage others to take the initiative?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Continual checking-in alters the “urgency.” It feels more like a lack of confidence in the individual’s ability to complete the task to specifications and on schedule.
• Work to establish more trust. Do this incrementally – start with less urgent / important responsibilities or tasks and move toward more urgent / important ones.
• Determine boundaries and clearly establish deliverables.
  • Write the objective down ahead of time – as well as how much information to give them.
  • Ask yourself: Is this providing “just enough” information to guide them without micromanaging or over specifying the solution?
• Is an objective being set, or are you trying to teach a methodology to reach the objective?
  • Unless the methodology is critical, focus on the objective and let them determine the methodology.
  • Once the objective is completed review and learn from them how it worked. Ask how they prefer to complete the objective so that you can provide the appropriate level of guidance in the future.
• Delegating takes more time than doing it yourself.
  • Employees will complete a task differently than you will. As long as an acceptable result is achieved, be tolerant that the method or tone is different. They may be coming up with a better way!

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