Leadership is like walking a tightrope (don't look down).

You have to trust that the person you've delegated to will do the job right, but you also can't stand back and watch.

You have to be there to help, offer support, and ensure things are going according to plan. And depending on what's at stake and their capability, you'll give more or less oversight. You, the leader, have to set the standards.

It's all a balancing act. And the better balance you have, the better leader you'll become—producing the results that matter.

I've failed at delegating so many times.

After fifteen years of growing a successful aerospace business, you think I'd have it together? But it's challenging. Working with and through other people is the hardest part of managing a successful business.

You're not just a leader, but you're a farmer.

You put in the work, water and fertilize and weed, and then wait for the fruits of your labor to come in. You can't do everything yourself, and you can't control everything. So you have to trust that your work will produce results, and you have to trust that the people you've delegated tasks to will do their part.

But, you also cant abdicate and let the pests overtake the precious plants.

You have to stay present, nourish, and weed. Like a farmer, you have to be patient and stay the course. You can't give up just because things are tough in the beginning.

The fruits of your labor will come in time, but only if you keep working hard and trusting the process.

The hallmark of exceptional leadership is a focus on respect and results (accountability).

Being an ass isn't good leadership. Nor is neglecting the fact that you hired people to produce results, so you must hold them accountable for those results.

Leaders must act with and through others; delegation and accountability are the keys to unlocking profound leverage.

Here are the three steps you need to take every time you delegate a task, project, or area of responsibility (these will transform your management skills):

Step 1: The Capability Spectrum

Before you delegate any task, project, or area of responsibility, you should understand where someone falls on the Capability Spectrum created by David Finkel.

On a scale of 1 - 10, you rate a person's current capabilities and experience in a given area.

1 being they have low capabilities in a given area and no history of success. As a result, they'll need closer support and supervision on the lower end of the scale.

10, being they have high capabilities and a strong history of success. You give them a wide span of control and space. They'll need little or no supervision, depending on the stakes of the activity.

Here's how to approach it based on capability and stakes.

Ask yourself:

• What is this person's current capability in this area?

• How high are the stakes?

Here are some examples:

Capability 1 - 3:

Low Stakes

• Train the person and give them a chance to learn in a low-risk environment.

• Create a standard operating procedure or video they can execute from.

High Stakes

• Hands off—DO NOT delegate, abdicate or even think of getting these people involved.

Capability Spectrum 4 - 5:

Low Stakes

• Let the person do it while you give feedback for them to improve. Premortems and Postmortems work great here.

High Stakes

• Let them watch/shadow a high-capability person as they execute a particular function. Record the scenario for future review, and have them explain the core lessons they learned.

• Role-play with them.

• Or, assign them a low-risk task like drafting a proposal.

Capability Spectrum 6 - 7:

Low Stakes

• They own the task with some easy way for feedback or accountability (see the next section for feedback loops).

High Stakes

• Let the person participate, but not on their own. Join them and establish guardrails so the metaphorical car doesn't end up in the ditch.

Capability Spectrum 8 - 10:

Low Stakes

• They own it and will need very little, if any, oversight.

High Stakes

• They own it but will always request someone of equal capability to review it.

Step 2: The Feedback Loop

Anxiety comes from not knowing where you stand on something.

This leads people to the immature management syndrome:

Let it slide... let it slide... let it slide...passive hint...explode!

Or they abdicate the task and get frustrated when nothing gets done correctly.

On the other hand, great leaders not only delegate to competent people but also repeat themselves and follow up consistently.

To avoid control-itis and abdication as a leader, you must establish a feedback loop.

A good feedback loop has the following:

• » Who?

• » Does what?

• » By when?

• » To what frequency?

• » How to close the loop?

• » To what standard?

The structure:

Who it's assigned to: clearly explain who owns the task.

What needs to be done: a clear explanation of what needs to get done.

When is it due: exact date and time it's due.

Frequency of the report: how often the report needs to be executed.

How to report: what medium the team member will use to deliver the report/update?

To what standard: why the task is essential and a clear explanation of the standards it must meet.

Confirmation of understanding: a clear verbal summary that everything is understood.

A follow-up mechanism: to ensure follow-through and accountability.

An example:

"Please send me an update on the status of x project every Friday by 3 pm EST via email. We must meet the y deadline to help execute our company's big objective, so making progress weekly is crucial."

"Do you have any questions? I'll follow up with you on Monday if I don't have the report to review." Then, create a follow-up task to ensure accountability.

Step 3: The Accountability Conversation

Sometimes, you will have to have respectful but direct adult conversations, especially for new team members and individuals with a lower capability.

David Finkel's framework is my go-to for giving direct and sometimes difficult feedback.

Here's how it works:

• 1. "I observe..."

  • "Hey Tim, I observed the other day you sent an email to X, and it said 1, 2, 3."

• 2. "The impact of that behavior is..."

  • "The impact to x was..."

• 3. "That isn't acceptable here."

• 4. "What I want to see in the future is..."

  • "What I want to see in the future is you kindly explaining what you need, and X, Y, and Z."

• 5. "Can you do that? What are your next steps to make that possible?"

Another great option is the Situation, Behavior, and Impact framework, developed by Think with Google.

Describe the Situation, the Behavior (what they did), and the Impact of that behavior.

Positive feedback example:

"At the client meeting earlier, you balanced sharing our ideas with hearing from them nicely. As a result, the client told me that they thought we clearly understood their needs."

Negative feedback example:

"When you presented our proposal to our Director, you presented everything and held all his questions until the end. However, I noticed our Director didn't seem happy to wait until the end."

Whatever it is, whatever you delegate, it's your responsibility to understand the stakes and capabilities while clearly articulating what you expect and holding your team accountable for those standards.

A great coach leads all the greatest teams in the world—you must be that coach for your team.