Executive Thoughts | Do it, Delegate it, Delete it

I like to keep my mind open to opportunities for my professional development and personal growth. I recognize that I am not a finished product, and there is always room for improvement. I often find useful nuggets of wisdom in a lecture, presentation, podcast, TedTalk, magazine article, seminar, etc. Years ago, I took part in a leadership conference that covered several work performance improvement strategies. One tactic, in particular, has stayed with me, and I have found great success with incorporating it into my workflow. It is the “Three D’s” of the productivity process: Do it, Delegate it, Delete it. The ‘Three D’s’ process is a handy tool for maintaining control over my projects and the duties within them. This process allows me to devote the time and energy necessary to complete tasks, reduce clutter, and eliminate items I should not spend time on. I certainly don’t lay claim to perfecting the process; but, in case it can be of value to others, I would like to share how I use it. Here’s a look at each component… Do it. Things in this category are ones you – yourself – need to/should do. They tend to have most or all of the following characteristics:

• You enjoy doing it
• It comes naturally to you
• The person in your role is expected to do it
• You have the deepest working knowledge of the subject matter
• You are best prepared to answer questions regarding it
• The responsibility for the outcome – good, bad, or otherwise – falls on you

“Do it” is not to be confused with the meaning behind the phrase, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” For instance, if you head up a group that is assigned to present research findings to your organization’s board of trustees, you should lead the planning and the presentation, and be prepared for inquiries about the material. If you are like me, you surround yourself with a team of competent and capable individuals. These are knowledgeable people who I trust, and who may be able to present to the board of trustees. In this particular example, however, it is most logical and effectual for the presentation to be done by me. Delegate it. One of the best feelings in the world is when there is a job to be done that you don’t like to do, aren’t good at, and/or don’t have time for, yet you know it will get done, and get done right… by someone else. Such is the beauty of delegation. A duty in this category often has these characteristics:

• You don’t enjoy doing it
• Your knowledge of the subject is limited
• You don’t have the time to do it
• It has been sitting in limbo waiting for direction
• It is a good learning opportunity for another trusted person

Delegating shouldn’t be looked at as just passing stuff off to others. Although there may be very good reasons for you not to do a thing, there may be better reasons for another person to do it. In the board presentation example above, you may choose to assign a section of research to a member of your team, because that person works closely with the topic, and you trust they will do well with it. The assignee thus strengthens their knowledge of the subject matter, gets to take ownership of their part of the project, is able to add to their list of accomplishments, and has their feelings of being a valuable member of the team reinforced. In this way, delegating a responsibility can and should be intentional and well thought out. You want to ensure the potential owner of the duty understands the job, has time to complete it, and feels comfortable with the requirements. Most importantly, you must remain present – to encourage, support, praise, and reward the person for their work. Be prepared for the possibility that no one in your work group is any more able/available than you to do the job at hand. If that is the case, and the material is not confidential or too specific, it is probably time to hire a skilled contractor to handle it. That great feeling of getting something off your plate and into capable hands is usually well worth the cost of being able to check it off your list. Delete it. Choose your favorite D-word here: Dismiss, Discard, Decline, Drop, Dump. Essentially, these things don’t need to be done – by anyone. Duties in this category tend to be:

• You don’t enjoy doing it
• Your knowledge of the subject is limited
• You don’t have the time to do it
• It has been sitting in limbo waiting for direction
• It is not critical to your core business

Anyone who has cleaned out a shed or storage closet knows how good of a feeling it is to put items you have no use for out on the curb for trash or donation, never to take up space on your property again. As satisfying as that is, it is extremely important to think through the consequences of saying goodbye to it. Because of the overlap in the characteristics between items to delegate and those to delete, making the decision to not do a job can be difficult. Deciding what is essential to core business is not always obvious. I have deliberated over that question countless times. I ask: Is the work to do it vs. output ratio worth it? What is the impact? Who benefits? Will this be missed if it’s not completed? If you do decide to pitch an assignment, there may be some follow-up to do, especially if someone else has an interest in it or if there are ancillary components that affect you or others. There is work to be done to make the determination to delete a duty, but it will put a smile on your face to confidently erase it, toss it in the trash, or tap the delete key over it. As stated before, I am not an expert on workflow strategies. I can vouch for the benefits I have received from the ‘Three D’s’ of the productivity process, however, and I hope you find some nuggets in my summary of it that are useful in your work.

Rich Bohon is the Head of Analytics at One Energy.

Learn more about Rich and the One Energy team.