One of the most common questions I get as I meet people and discuss what I do is ‘How do I take my group to the next level?’ My usual response… ‘What’s holding you back?’ Time after time, in the ensuing conversation, we figure out that personnel is at least a contributing factor to the problem. Money, time, sales, marketing, and all the other business topics are important, but without a system to develop people, you are throwing rocks in a pond and hoping to catch fish. If you have enough rocks, you will eventually get lucky, but most of us don’t have very many rocks. The real heart to heart question we have to get to is if you won’t allow your people to make decisions and perform, why do you need them? Worse yet, you are the bottleneck for your company!
Many years ago, one of my training mentors named Steve Miller taught me the process of building my team through the degrees of delegation. It is a systematized way to slowly and safely allow your team members to take on more and more responsibility as well as know where they stand with regard to decision making on your team. When used properly, it creates a trusting relationship that results in what nearly every employee survey will tell you they want… Clarity.
The degrees look something like this (there are many variations on this):
Level 1: Go get the information in the place I tell you it is located. Bring it back to me and I will make the decision.
Level 2: Go get the information and make a recommendation. I will still proceed with my decision.
Level 3: Get the information, make a recommendation, we will discuss and then I will make the decision.
Level 4: Get the information, make a recommendation, wait for my approval, then you move forward.
Level 5: Get the information, make the decision, alert me to your decision, and move forward unless you hear from me.
Level 6: Get the information, make the decision, move forward, let me know how it turns out.
Level 7: Make the decision, let me know if it goes poorly and you need help.
It is a gradual progression of giving more and more responsibility and trust to your people so that both of you can move forward with confidence. This is the heart of people development… a trusting relationship where everyone knows their role, limits and mission.
An example of Level 1 would be a new employee usually or a large problem that an employee has never seen before. One of my clients recently had a situation where the wrong decision meant getting sued. The manager requested that the team member do the research on the subject and bring it to him to make the decision. He told him where to find it and who to talk to, but ultimately, the team members' opinion was of little use seeing as he had no experience with the subject. Showing
him where to find the information helped the team member move to a level 2 next time by showing him how to process the information and what the manager's decision was going to be. The key to a level 1 is that the team member has no knowledge in the subject and therefore, an opinion is not really of value.
Level 2 examples include things that the team member has a limited experience with. If an issue arose with a client of my team regarding service, I might ask the team member what their opinion is on the subject. They have probably had poor service in the past and have a view of what good service is. Their experience with the subject is the key to needing their opinion.
Level 3 is a very important level. Thought processes are analyzed here. Instead of just asking for an opinion and moving on, it is a dialogue. Real growth starts occurring here because systems and ideas are exchanged instead of merely training. This is actually my favorite level because it is so interactive and exciting to watch a team member think through issues and come up with solutions. An example would be when a veteran on my team is wanting to go to a management level. As I am presented with a challenge, I might bring them in and ask them to debate the alternatives with me. They have been through some of the situations before, just never quite like this or very few times. I want them to explore the options and see the potential results. I will ultimately make the decision, but their ideas will help shape it.
Level 4 is the beginning of gradually releasing control. Tell me what your plan is and I will give the go or no go. The only part of the decision as the manager is to give a stamp of approval for action. The critical piece of information is that the decision must come quickly. Team members will have a tendency to move up the levels too fast and move without permission or even worse, sit and wait for the manager’s recommendation that never comes. Either one can lead to mistakes, frustration and a lack of growth.
Level 5 is a very tenuous level that needs to be treated as such. No feedback from the manager is needed to move forward. It is imperative that you define what communication looks like here. Is an email or message sufficient? How far ahead should you be warned of an impending decision? Being extremely clear before hitting this level will help.
Level 6 is my second favorite level. This is for a seasoned team member to start really growing. The manager trusts the decision making process so the team member is allowed to autonomously make certain decisions. During periodic meetings we review those decisions and discuss any alterations or recommendations to the analysis. This really allows people to feel independent and free, but still safe. Nothing gets too far down the river so to speak without it being discussed if the manager is having regular meetings.
Level 7 is my least favorite level from a development standpoint, but the most critical from a team and personal growth angle. This is when we push the birds out of the nest and watch them fly. We have given them all the guidance. We have discussed thought processes. It is time for them to fly on their own. Team members with level 7 decision authority are your future managers. Other team members come to them in your stead to ask lower level questions and get guidance. When you go on vacation, level 7s are left in charge.
That is a quick tour of the various levels. One very important point is that every person may be at a different level with different decisions. Generally, no one is a level 7 all the way across the board with any decision. It varies based on the severity of the consequences. For example, a person who is a level 7 on pricing may be able to release a price to a customer or even give a discount, however, deciding to sell your company may be a bit out of their league. That is an extreme example, but one that hopefully makes a point. We are all at different levels with different decisions and even with different groups. This process is fluid. You may think a team member is a level 5 on certain things but then they make a mistake and you move them back to a 3 until you have confidence again. The degrees are designed to protect not only the well being of the company or group, but also the individuals. No one likes to be told to make decisions with little guidance only to be second guessed by the very person that gave them no guidance yet we do it all the time.
As always, you now have new information… What will you do with it? Most if not all of you are thinking right now of times you were a 3 and treated like a 6 with bad repercussions or were a 6 but treated like a 2 because your boss was a control freak. How will you utilize this with your team? You have to share it with them. You can not start using the system and not teach your team what it is. This is a group effort or it won’t work. After teaching them, use it. When a team member is presented with a problem, get out the degrees and decide what level that it should be. Similarly, team members should ask you as they are asked to accomplish tasks what level the decision is so they are clear about how to proceed. It can be a little ‘clunky’ at first, but eventually, everyone will know what is expected. They will have clarity… Everyone will sleep a little better at night. Managers can take time off from time to time without being attached to their computer or phone (you know who you are). The customers get a better experience as decisions are made quickly and decisively. But best of all, growth will occur. The team member will grow in responsibility and hopefully therefore income, and the manager will grow by better developing people and therefore increase his or her value to the company as well.
