So, let's say you are in charge of a project. You started it last year, but now you have a direct report who you think is ready to take things over. She's been working with you on it for a long time, and you feel that she's ready to "own" this thing.
After a month, you see she's about to make a mistake; one that--in your opinion--might cost some money and potentially kill the project.
What do you do?
Do you let her possibly fail, or protect her since you're invested in her personal development? Do you assume she has better knowledge but challenge strongly, or does your opinion trump hers? Do you step in; and if so, did you really delegate responsibility in the first place?
To complicate things, I think decision rights are always "nested," in that the supervisor is ultimately responsible for the actions and projects of her direct report.
I don't know the answer, but I am interested in hearing your thoughts. What do you think?
Just went back and watched Charles' Video on the challenge process.
You should say something.
Maybe she has a plan for action that would leverage the potential mistake. Maybe she honestly is missing the potential for disaster.
Posted by: Jonny B | 06 July 2010 at 10:54 AM
A few sub-buzz words come to mind: "Eliminate Waste" and "Proactively share your knowledge..."
Which is worth more in the long term? Her sense of autonomy, or the project? And how much will you really eat into her sense of autonomy if you merely suggest or point out something and not actually make a change?
I've taken to pointing out what i thought was obvious to some individuals that weren't exactly looking for my input, but in the end were glad that I said something.
As far as technique goes, i would keep this little cliche in mind:
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Posted by: David McGinnis | 07 July 2010 at 12:04 PM
I agree that you should say something to her and it can be done without threatening her "ownership" of the project or her autonomy. I think it would be more complex if you had given the project to someone that was not a direct report. But, I'm not sure my answer would change anyway.
If the project was originally determined to add value, then you can't afford to sacrifice that potential contribution just to avoid stalling her professional development. You could, in fact, turn the situation into a great learning experience for her that she'll use later in her carrer.
Posted by: Tammy Carroll | 07 July 2010 at 02:41 PM
Great motto, DM.
Posted by: Andy Gillette | 07 July 2010 at 09:30 PM
I really like Tammy's idea of "turn[ing] the situation into a great learning experience for her"; then the tradeoff becomes investing time into the immediate coaching vs. coaching later. I like how it emphasizes the role of the manager as a leader (as opposed to a resource allocator).
Posted by: Andy Gillette | 07 July 2010 at 09:35 PM
I agree with Tammy. You cannot afford to loose the value creation.
In this situation you want to coach now. It is a critical decsion and at a critical point for the success of the project.
Perhaps the question is about the type of teaching. In this case it is preemptive coaching. But in another case when the mistake is not as high profile, the correct teaching style may be from failure.
Posted by: mbm master | 14 July 2010 at 01:49 PM
The Third Habit from Covey's "Seven Habits" I think can offer some good advice here. Stephen gave his son charge over the yard and he had to decide if he should exert his authority and knowledge when it wasn't getting taken care of. Ultimately, he did it by coaching - he made his son his own boss, the only requirement was that his son report to his dad twice a week as they walk around the yard and the son explain how it is going.
What would nesting look like in an economy? I think it's generally best to let people have their private property and do whatever they want with it. no need to let a bureaucracy have the final say in the name of a better world.
In the same way nesting should be rare in the work environment. Share knowledge, yes, but be careful how it is shared - could be done too authoritarian and learning doesn't actually happen. Usually giving people full ownership and responsibility of their mistakes or successes is where the mos effective learning happens (at least, that's the way it's been in my own experience)
Posted by: staffaction | 27 July 2010 at 11:00 AM
I think this paragraph from the Institute for Justice hits on an important societal/Science of Liberty aspect that might be informative when thinking about decision rights (to an extent):
"Mired in a nationwide jobless recovery, state and local governments have the power to create jobs and transform communities if they do one simple thing: get out of the way." More here: http://ij.org/about/3434
Posted by: Andy Gillette | 28 July 2010 at 08:55 AM