If you have people reporting to you, or if you’re a parent, you’re going to be delegating. You may do it well, or you may do it badly, but you can’t move up without that skill.
So, here’s a simple rule to remember when delegating a job to someone else:
The 10-80-10 Principle
During the first phase, or the first ‘10’ in the 10-80-10 principle, you:
- Describe the task
- Lay out parameters
- Share resources
- Agree on timelines and measures of success
- Take questions
Next comes the middle number; the 80. This is a nice number for you, because this is where they do the work that you used to be doing. They get to do the bulk of the work, but aren’t left alone to fail. The biggest delegation mistake is setting others up to fail, not to win.
That’s where the final 10 in the 10-80-10 principle comes in. You help with the 10% that they’re stuck on.
You (the delegator) never take on the 80%. That’s their job. But you find that final 10% that they’re missing and chip in with your expertise or coaching to bring the job across the finish line.
Abdication is when you assign a job and walk away. Delegation is following the 10-80-10 principle. Give away most of the job, but keep your finger in the pie too.
Give this simple principle a try this week!
Getting ahead is about getting started!