Just Leaf Me Alone
A number of clients have mentioned that they are struggling with delegating responsibilities to team members. The issues fall into two categories: team members either checking in before making even the most trivial decisions or unilaterally making significant decisions with large ramifications.
In Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott, she suggests a helpful approach for delegation by categorizing decisions into four levels using the analogy of tree components: leaves, branches, trunks, and roots. Each of these areas are of increasing importance to the health of the tree and, if thought of as a metaphor for delegation, each requires a different amount of collaboration.
Leaf Decisions: These are fully delegated. The delegatee makes the decision without needing to inform the delegator. However, it is advisable to notify if the decision is not going as planned.
Branch Decisions: These are largely delegated. The delegatee makes the decision without prior approval but informs the delegator at the next regular meeting.
Trunk Decisions: These involve less delegation. The delegatee makes a decision but discusses it with the delegator before implementation.
Root Decisions: These are not delegated. These major decisions are made collaboratively with the appropriate stakeholders.
he classification of decisions is based on their material impact and breadth. For instance, a decision affecting a single student’s schedule for a semester might be a leaf decision, while a major restructuring of the entire schedule would likely be a root decision.
Two significant advantages of this system are:
Clarification of Roles: It compels the delegator to be clear about which decisions fall into which category. This explicit conversation between delegator and delegatee clarifies responsibilities.
Streamlined Decision-Making: It provides a shorthand for decision-making. For example, if the development director asks for your opinion on holiday cards, you can easily say that it is a leaf decision, allowing them to take full ownership and proceed.
This approach ensures that the decision-making process is clear and efficient, fostering a more effective team dynamic.
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