Last week on the blog we talked about why you need to start delegating more than your to-do list and that you need to start thinking about things differently if you want to achieve new goals for your business. If you didn’t have a chance to read that post, make sure to take a quick look HERE.
What I wanted to dive into today was a simple method to really start thinking about how to delegate those full responsibilities to your team and how to make things easier and more comfortable for you as you give your team members ownership over their roles. Working as a virtual assistant and content manager over the past 4 years has allowed me to work with multiple different businesses and owners and I can say that each one had some difficulty being able to express things that were living in their brains clearly to me or someone else on the team. This is completely normal when you have been the creator of your business from the ground up. So many things often live in your head and the thought of trying to pass that along is completely overwhelming.
That is why I have put together ( based on the framework from the book Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz) a simple method to use when you go to pass off anything in your business to someone else.
Welcome to the P.I.E. Method!
The PIE method contains 3 different areas that need to be involved when looking at delegation, P is for Permission, I is for Information and E is for Expectations ( and I have a little bonus letter F for Feedback to tack on to the end)
P = PERMISSION
When handing off responsibilities in your business you are going to need to provide your team member with the level of permission they have on any certain task or project they are performing. For example, if someone is handling your blogging for you they will need to know the level to which they can take that post. These can be things like, can they select the photos to use, can they be the ones to hit publish or will you do that, can they decide the schedule and what goes out when? You need to give them permission to make decisions up to a certain point when it comes to the blog. Another example of this is if you have someone handling expenses or deciding which software you may want to introduce. You will need to give them permission up to the point you feel comfortable with them making certain decisions. Can they make the final call after presenting the research? Can they use your CC to process the payment etc?
Making sure your team member is super clear on how far they can take something before having to check in with you will not only alleviate the back and forth questions, it will give them a sense of ownership over what they are doing.
I = INFORMATION
You then want to provide them with any and all information ( or as much as possible) that they will need to be successful in their role or project. ( pssst…this doesn’t have to be full-blown SOP or a training manual) This team member can also create the SOP ( standard operating procedures) for you as they perform their role. Make sure to provide them with things like logins, passwords, images, or graphics they may need, vendor details, contact information, deadlines, and due dates just to name a few. Again this eliminates a ton of back and forth Slack messages or emails from them asking for things when they go to perform their task. It also helps them to be more efficient because when they sit down to work they will have everything they need to get that job done.
E = EXPECATIONS
For your team member to be successful in their role it’s important for them to know your expectations or the outcome you want from the project or task they are performing. To provide your team members with a feeling of full ownership over their role you need to provide them with the outcome you are expecting from it/them. This way they can self-gauge how they are doing and whether or not they are on track and doing what you need them to do. For example, if you hire a social media manager the expectation you provide them may be to grow your following and engagement by X by X date. This gives them a clear vision of what everyone is working towards and they will know where they may need to tweak or adjust to keep on pace.
**BONUS
F = FEEDBACK
The F didn’t fit nicely into the acronym used for this method but I had to include it as a bonus because I feel this is almost THE most important aspect of delegation. Providing feedback and having open communication is probably the biggest factor in making sure you get things done the way you want them. Providing as much feedback whether positive or negative ( try to give both if you can) is the only way your team members will be able to learn and adjust for next time. This is especially important when they are just starting out so they know exactly how you like things done and that going forward things can improve if necessary. Having open lines of communication and having your team members know they will have opportunities to sit down with you and get your feedback or even to just have a conversation can provide a lot of comforts for both parties and create a solid relationship between you and your team.
There you have it, if you are bringing on new team members to your business or if you have an existing team that you find you are having to micro-manage, I would love to see you try The PIE method and see what happens! Knowing that your team feels like they have ownership over their role and a piece of your company can only benefit both of you.
Reach out over on Instagram DM, I would love to hear if you tried The PIE Method and how it is working for you!
