Aligning Team Skills With Tasks

This week, I facilitated a manager workshop on how to grow and develop people and teams. One question sparked a great conversation: “How do you develop your people outside of formal programs?” It’s a great question. IMO, one of the highest leverage actions a leader can take is making small, but consistent actions to develop their people. While formal learning experiences absolutely a role, there are far more opportunities for growth outside of structured settings from an hours in the day perspective. Helping leaders recognize and embrace this is a major opportunity. I introduced the idea of Practices of Development (PODs) aka small, intentional activities integrated into everyday work that help employees build skills, flex new muscles, and increase their impact. Here are a few examples we discussed: 🌟 Paired Programming: Borrowed from software engineering, this involves pairing an employee with a peer to take on a new task—helping them ramp up quickly, cross-train, or learn by doing. 🌟 Learning Logs: Have team members track what they’re working on, learning, and questioning to encourage reflection. 🌟 Bullpen Sessions: Bring similar roles together for feedback, idea sharing, and collaborative problem-solving, where everyone both A) shares a deliverable they are working on, and B) gets feedback and suggestions for improvement 🌟 Each 1 Teach 1:  Give everyone a chance to teach one work-related skill or insight to the team. 🌟 I Do, We Do, You Do:Adapted from education, this scaffolding approach lets you model a task, then do it together, then hand it off. A simple and effective way to build confidence and skill. 🌟 Back Pocket Ideas:  During strategy/scoping work sessions, ask employees to submit ideas for initiatives tied to a customer problem or personal interest. Select the strongest ones and incorporate them into their role. These are a few examples that have worked well. If you’ve found creative ways to build development opportunities into your employees day to day work, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you!

The 4 most important #questions to ask yourself if you are to master #DelegatingWELL 1. Why must I delegate! The simple response is, how #far do you think you can walk carrying a load of 100ks on your head? Not far, right? In the same way, if you want to lead for long and not suffer #burnout, you are going to learn to delegate! 2. What should i delegate? This depends but my usual take is; A) #breaking down the task in order of important duties and this then helps me what I should do as a leader, and what I should delegate to others. Sometimes it’s the most important or #delicate part of the assignment. B) Other times I consider what part of the assignment I know #someone else on the team can do a much better job at. Being a leader means getting the best people to do the best job. Not trying to do everything yourself. C) Sometimes I will consider which part of the assignment aligns with #where I am going in life. I have learnt to concentrate my energy on that which is connected with my destiny. This means there are moments I delegate things that fall outside that path but are in line with another’s destiny. D) Things that will take a lot of my time but bring #less results. Sometimes being busy does not mean being productive. Pick your battles well and let others also put in their weight in certain parts of the assignment. E) There are times I will delegate a task to another team #member because I know it will help them grow. Even though I know it’s something I can do, if I realize it will help someone on the team grow, I will sometimes delegate that task. 3. When should I delegate? I am one for delegating #early! And this is for two reasons: A) it brings others in early enough so you can get the task done #faster and B) it helps spread the effort needed to fulfil the task so you do not# burn out. Do not wait to be overwhelmed before you can think of delegating! As soon as you have a clear picture of the assignment and what has to be done, start thinking who should do what! 4. Who do I make sure delegation brings results Keep a #Bird’sEye on everything. This does not mean uncomfortably peeping over people’s shoulders. Set times to #report back on progress from the person/people you have delegated to. That helps to ensure things do not slip through the cracks and that you keep on track in terms of time. Are these things you usually consider? Which of them stands out for you? Cheers 🥂 to building teams that last and win Jose

You don’t need better people. You need better pattern recognition. Over the years, I’ve seen it too many times: Leaders label someone “difficult” ↳ When that person is simply in the wrong role. Every employee brings a gift: -Vision. -Service. -Teaching. -Leadership. -Connection. -Encouragement. -Problem-solving. But when those gifts don’t match the job? They get misread as performance issues. The one who challenges every decision? ↳ Might have the gift of vision — they see what's coming before others do. The teammate who jumps in to help before finishing their own work? ↳ Could have the gift of service — they instinctively support the team, even at a cost. The colleague who writes overly detailed instructions? ↳ May hold the gift of teaching — they want others to succeed without confusion. The one who constantly checks in on how people feel? ↳ Likely has the gift of connection — they tune into team dynamics early and deeply. ---Here’s your Monday reset:--- This week, don’t just manage behaviors. Decode and understand them. → Assign the questioner to risk analysis → Give the helper complex systems to support → Let the explainer train new hires → Ask the connector to mediate team friction Misalignment drains energy. But alignment...It multiplies results. What gifts are hiding in plain sight on your team? And what might change if you finally gave them the right work?

Do you know when to delegate? How much to delegate? Who to delegate to? 🤷 These are important questions... As you trust and empower your team, consider: • experience • knowledge • skills It seems like an easy combination! It seems like commonsense! But I have seen again and again leaders make the mistake of looking at overall experience, knowledge, and skills. They don't consider how these apply to a specific request. 👉 They don't consider task relevant maturity. Let's say a Customer Success Manager has years of experience working directly with enterprise clients. However, they don't excel at analyzing data and creating scalable solutions. ❓ Would you ask the CSM to sift through user data and come up with proposals that can be applied to all clients? Or how about a top-level Sales Rep who doesn't have the skills or experience to also develop younger, less-experienced team members. ❓ Would you ask the Rep to mentor the team? You might. But you would need to provide more precise and detailed instructions. You would need to be more hands on. You would need to adjust the cadence of checkins and 1:1s, talking more frequently. By understanding each team member's experience, knowledge, and skills for a specific task, you can avoid delegation mistakes, loss of confidence, frustration, and results which don't meet expectations and needs. Effective leadership requires a balance between being hands on when needed, but also allowing autonomy in areas of competence and expertise. By taking task relevant maturity into consideration, you ensure: • better outcomes • minimized errors • improved teamwork and support • an environment of continuous learning In turn, all of these points then lead to improved success for the team. So don't make the mistake of assuming experience equates ability in any area. PS. How do you trust but verify the person can handle a task? 🔔 Follow Chris Cotter for more on #leadership.

Ever wonder how to take your team from good to great? In my years of experience leading various teams, I've realized that recognizing individual strengths is the way to go. Let me break it down: 1. Identify Strengths: It starts here. You can't make the most out of your team if you don't know what they excel at. I usually do assessments or have straightforward 1:1 conversations to dig deeper. Trust me, everyone has something they're good at... you just need to uncover it. 2. Open Communication: Once you know everyone's strengths, share them. I've found that openly discussing these in team meetings can break down barriers. It gives everyone a sense of belonging and value. 3. Role Alignment: This is where the magic happens. Assign tasks and roles based on these identified strengths. If John is good with numbers, he should be handling the budget. If Sarah is a people person, client relations might be her jam. 4. Ongoing Development: Don't just stop at identifying strengths, help your team develop them further. This could mean sending them to training programs, assigning them a mentor, or giving them challenging projects. 5. Celebrate Wins: Recognition is huge for motivation. When someone uses their strength to benefit the team, acknowledge it. A simple "great job" can go a long way. 6. Check the Pulse: Keep regular tabs on how well the strengths-based approach is working. Is the team more engaged? Are they happier? If not, it might be time to make some adjustments. 7. Be Flexible: Just because you've assigned roles based on strengths doesn't mean it's set in stone. People grow, and their strengths may evolve. Be prepared to realign roles as needed. 8. Feedback Loop: Create a culture where team members can give and receive feedback about how they're using their strengths. It keeps everyone accountable and can lead to more personal and team growth. 9. Monitor Impact: Keep an eye on key performance indicators (KPIs) to see the direct impact of a strengths-focused approach. You'll be surprised at the uptick in productivity and morale. 10. Review and Adjust: Periodically revisit your approach. Are team members still in roles that suit their strengths? Is the team achieving its goals? Make adjustments as necessary. In the words of Peter Drucker, "The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths, making our weaknesses irrelevant." #LeadershipDevelopment #leadership #TeamLeadership

Most leaders make these delegation mistakes. Do you? Delegation is a crucial skill for a leader. And it’s one that’s easy to mess up. This can harm both productivity and morale. I know because I’ve made every mistake multiple times. After 10+ years leading teams and overcoming my own delegation challenges, Here are the 8 biggest delegation mistakes and how to fix them: 1) Unclear Goals   ↳ Don’t just assign tasks - set SMART goals so expectations are clear   ↳ Clear communication is key to alignment 2) Micromanaging   ↳ Resist the urge to control everything - give autonomy within boundaries   ↳ Trust your team to handle responsibility 3) Mismatched Skills   ↳ Align tasks to strengths - train to fill skill gaps   ↳ Ensure everyone is set up for success 4) Lack of Follow-Up   ↳ Check progress frequently - use tools to track work   ↳ Maintain accountability without hovering 5) Inadequate Support   ↳ Ensure access to all resources needed to succeed   ↳ Provide tools and information to excel 6) Overloading Stars   ↳ Distribute work evenly - rotate responsibilities   ↳ Prevent burnout and maintain engagement 7) Ignoring Feedback   ↳ Encourage input - improve processes through feedback   ↳ Make everyone feel valued and heard 8) No Recognition   ↳ Acknowledge achievements - incentivize great work   ↳ Foster a culture of appreciation Effective delegation requires: - Realistic timelines - Clear communication  - Empowering your team - Developing trust Strategic delegation is crucial for leaders. Avoid these mistakes to build an empowered, productive team! P.S. What delegation challenges have you faced as a leader? Share your lessons learned! — ♻️ Repost to help leaders delegate effectively! ➕ Follow me Sandra Pellumbi for more. 🦉

FY25 planning is upon us. And I’m reminded of a universal truth in business … There will never be enough headcount. Even in the best economies, teams have to prioritize and strategize. But budgets today are tighter than ever, and that means no one is coming to save your team. As leaders, we have to find a way to do more with less. The best way I know? Stop looking at team members as the sum of their job descriptions and, instead, as individuals with their own skill sets, backgrounds, and experiences. Here’s an example: We have five product marketers on our team. Initially, we were going to give each PM the same scope of work. They would oversee every area of a product from start to finish. But they each have their own talents. One PM is a fantastic communicator — both for speaking events and written assets. Another is obsessed with data. They chase insights no one else would bother with — or think to look for. Another’s market knowledge is unmatched. And another understands the ins and outs of a successful product launch, including what makes for crystal clear messaging. Giving each of them the same scope of work meant we weren’t maximizing their unique skill sets — we were actually hurting our productivity. So, we broke their scope of work into projects where each PM could do the work that aligned with their expertise. As soon as we removed old constructs around job descriptions and roles and started organizing work around talent, we started to do WAY more with less. And now we’re looking at how we can do something similar across other teams. But there are things you’ll need if you want to start optimizing around your talent. Your team needs to be fully onboarded and integrated. Your team members need to have been in their roles long enough so that you understand their unique skill sets. The team needs to work well together so that each one can contribute to overall projects and initiatives without friction (this means hiring team players and people who mesh with your culture) If you’re like me and battling the FY25 scaries, take a deep breath. Step back and rethink the roles on your team and how you’ve been approaching work and talent. What’s your best advice for doing more with less? #CMO #marketing #womenintech #leadership

Your people want to grow… But you’re not listening. Employees crave development, not just feedback. Leaders miss the bigger picture: ↳ Skill gaps and ambitions. Otherwise, employees feel: 1. Unheard 2. Undervalued 3. Stuck Without growth, engagement drops. Turnover soars… You need more than feedback. You need an actionable strategy. Here’s how: 1. Use Structured Frameworks. - Standardized templates reduce personal biases. - Blend metrics with narratives for actionable insights. - Structured feedback eliminates guesswork. 2. Focus On Future Goals. - Set SMART goals to make development clear. - Shift feedback from past to forward-looking progress. - Align team growth with your company’s goals. 3. Listen To Employees' Voices. - Surveys uncover ambitions often left unspoken. - Safe spaces allow employees to share openly. - Listening fosters trust and deeper engagement. 4. Bridge The Gap For Future Success. - Use benchmarks to prioritize critical skill gaps. - Compare current skills to those your future requires. - Prepare employees today for tomorrow’s challenges. 5. Empower Growth Ownership. - Prompts like “Where do I excel?” spark reflection. - Encourage employees to own development paths. - Regular discussions keep growth consistent and visible. 6. Collaborate On Development Goals. - Build trust with safe, judgment-free feedback spaces. - Visualise their goals, showing progress and alignment. - Collaboration ensures both clarity and accountability. When growth is intentional, businesses succeed. Focus on development now to avoid turnover later. Invest in your people to future-proof your business. Follow Jonathan Raynor. Reshare to help others.

Leaders: forget the idea of being “hands-on.” Freedom makes teams perform better. Delegation inspires confidence. It fosters growth. It unlocks team potential. Done right, it is a tool any leader can use to build thriving, autonomous teams. Here’s 9 ways to revolutionize your leadership by delegating with trust: 1/ Clarify Expectations: Set the Stage for Success → Define goals, deadlines, and outcomes clearly upfront. → Ensure team members understand the “why” behind tasks. 💡 Leaders: Use one-on-one meetings to align priorities and confirm understanding. 2/ Choose the Right Person: Match Tasks to Strengths → Assign tasks based on skills, interests, and growth potential. → Avoid overloading the same high-performers repeatedly. 💡 Leaders: Map team members’ strengths to projects to boost engagement and results. 3/ Grant Autonomy: Let Go of Micromanaging → Give freedom to decide how the work gets done. → Resist the urge to hover or dictate every step. 💡 Leaders: Set check-in points for progress updates, not to control the process. 4/ Provide Resources: Equip for Success → Ensure access to tools, information, and support needed. → Remove roadblocks that could derail progress. 💡 Leaders: Ask, “What do you need to succeed?” and act on the answers. 5/ Encourage Questions: Foster Open Communication → Create a safe space for team members to seek clarification. → Reward curiosity to build confidence in decision-making. 💡 Leaders: Model vulnerability by admitting when you don’t know something. 6/ Accept Mistakes: Turn Errors into Learning → View missteps as opportunities for growth, not failure. → Provide constructive feedback without blame. 💡 Leaders: Share a past mistake you made and how it shaped your growth. 7/ Recognize Efforts: Celebrate Wins, Big and Small → Acknowledge contributions to reinforce trust and motivation. → Publicly praise specific actions to inspire others. 💡 Leaders: Send a quick thank-you note or shout-out in team meetings. 8/ Build Accountability: Empower Ownership → Encourage team members to take responsibility for outcomes. → Avoid swooping in to “fix” things unless absolutely necessary. 💡 Leaders: Ask, “What’s your plan to move this forward?” to promote initiative. 9/ Reflect and Refine: Improve Delegation Over Time → Seek feedback on your delegation approach from the team. → Adjust based on what works and what doesn’t. 💡 Leaders: Hold quarterly reviews to discuss delegation experiences and optimize. Delegating with trust redefines leadership by blending empowerment with accountability. Start leveraging these strategies to transform your team into a powerhouse of independence and impact. Which one of these delegation techniques works best for you? Comment below! ♻️ Repost if your network needs these reminders. Follow Carolyn Healey for more leadership insights.

You’re covering lunch duty. Fixing the copier. Answering emails at 10pm. And wondering why there’s no time to actually lead. At some point, every principal hits the same wall: You can’t build a great school by doing everything yourself. So how do you start letting go without dropping the ball? Here’s a simple framework I use with leaders who want to delegate while keeping visibility and accountability: 1. Sort it. Is this instructional, strategic, or operational? If it’s not instructional or strategic, are you the best person for it? 2. Name it. What does success look like if you’re not the one doing it? Focus on the outcome, not just the task. 3. Match it. Who on your team can truly own this—not just help with it? Think strengths, not just job titles. 4. Support it. Delegation isn’t “set it and forget it.” Check in. Coach. Stay close to what matters. Finally letting go is the start of doing the job you were chosen to do: Run your school.