If you’re not getting the results you expect when delegating, try PTR.
Why assign tasks to others if they can’t get it right?
A new client told me she’s having to regularly correct much of the work of one of her employees. After a few clarifying questions, we both realized that there needs to be a change. It would be easy to blame the younger, greener employee with some entitlement issues and lackadaisical work habits. A decade ago, an employee like this would be fired. Now the game is a bit different, and as leaders we are having to take a deeper look into WHY employees may not be performing as desired.
Among the top causes of frustration with employee performance is underdeveloped skills in the leader, often in the areas of setting expectations, delegation, communication, and emotional intelligence. Before you dismiss the rest of this post, let’s agree that stronger leadership doesn’t “fix” all under-performing employee issues. However, it’s worth noting that MUCH of the gripes employers have about employees can be resolved with better communication around expectations. The great thing about this is that as a leader, you have more influence over others’ performance, especially when you approach things from a leadership stance rather than a managerial or punitive stance (more pulling and lifting than pushing and poking). More good news: any caring leader open to learning the skills and develop the habits needed to lead high-performing teams can acquire them and reap the rewards.
This tool is one of the easiest ways to power up your leadership skills!
PTR is a tool (or model) I have been sharing a lot lately. It’s exciting to witness the ah-ha moment in my conversations with leaders. It seems that almost everyone is overworked and overstressed these days, and of course no one wants to add more work to their list. Fortunately, this tool is easy to understand and simple to apply!
PTR stands for Preferences, Traditions, Requirements.
When we explain that we need something done, there’s usually an element of “We do it this way because…” and often there is also an element of “We’ve always done it like this.” PTR helps us break down expectations into the 3 areas and specifically to separate the Requirements from Preferences and Traditions. When communicating expectations, the mistake too many leaders make is muddling the requirements by including traditions and preferences without distinction. When we focus on requirements FIRST, employees understand what’s most important about the task and your expectations. In addition, it can help us understand our own preferences and team traditions, and foster openness to new traditions and various preferences.
While looking for additional resources to share with leaders for one of my Blazing Productivity Without Burnout trainings (Events), I discovered PTR through The Management Center (1), which led me to a popular Fortune article (2), and to Ernst & Young (3).
While Ernst & Young is using PTR specifically to improve results in DEI, I see it as a perfect fit for leaders communicating expectations to all their employees. However, it could be adapted to many situations!
Some examples should make it easier to apply to your own scenarios:
1. A common personal situation might be asking a family member to take out the trash.
Many people don’t communicate expectations well, then are miffed when they didn’t put a new bag in, and raccoons made a mess in the driveway, lol. Requirements might be 1) get the trash from the kitchen to the bin outside without leaving any mess, 2) ensure the bin lid is secured against animals, and 3) put a clean trash bag into the can liner. Traditions might be that we always do it on Monday night, and typically check the bathroom trash and take it out at the same time since trash day is Tuesday. Preferences might include using a twist tie vs a trying to make a knot in the trash bag to prevent trash from spilling out, and the way the new trash bag is pulled tight around the top of the liner, so the bag is less likely to slip down. Perhaps we could add the specific trash bag type to traditions or preferences. (For instance, I strongly prefer scent-free bags that are eco-friendly, but I understand that many people prefer other types of bags.)
2. A simplified work situation can help PTR become more familiar, such as a new employee’s first day.
What are the Requirements for first day of onboarding a new team member? These may include getting a copy of their identity documents, having them sign new employee paperwork, take a photo for their badge, watch a safety video, and move into their desk. A Tradition might be that they start on Monday, but once we separate it from Requirements, we may realize that doesn’t really matter. Other traditions may including meeting the team while they get a tour of the building, and going to lunch with their manager. Preferences could include something like mailing a letter prior to their first day with where to park and how to get into the building, etc. - but what about a phone call to welcome them to the team a few days before they start instead?
A mistake too many leaders make is muddling the requirements by including traditions and preferences without distinction. Focus on requirements FIRST, employees understand what’s most important.
3. Let’s try another simplified work-related topic. Practice thinking through PTR on something like “Dress Code.”
- What are the true clothing Requirements for your place of work?
- What are the work attire Traditions in your organization? Have you seen some Traditions disrupted as a result of the pandemic?
- What are your dress code Preferences versus others’ Preferences?
I used to believe that I had to wear business attire when meeting with clients and attending networking events. Within my first few years as a coach and business owner, I realized that each individual client, group, and industry had its own norms. After several clients mentioned they preferred me to dress down, so they felt more comfortable, I realized I needed to reevaluate my assumptions. I started considering things differently and made changes to my wardrobe. It felt strange at first, but I truly prefer it now!
How can you apply PTR to different work situations?
While another client and I were exploring team dynamics challenges, we wondered, “Does breaking down a formal, documented procedure into PTR help convey that there is no place for bruised egos when it comes to Requirements?” I theorized that yes, it should help by separating out the non-negotiables from the optional stuff. Introducing PTR to the team and asking them to identify and prioritize the Requirements in myriad work situations should help members not take offense to other people’s Preferences, right? Ideally, it will enable a discussion about being open to explore others’ Preferences, and possibly even new team Traditions.
Delegate with confidence. Make PTR work for you! Here’s how:
- Select a task to assign to someone else on your team.
- Identify and separate the Requirements. What is non-negotiable?
- Examine your Preferences and any Traditions that you’ve attached to the that task.
- Practice communicating expectations clearly when assigning the task, being specific about the Requirements, then including the Preferences and Traditions. Yes, go ahead and use these labels to help the employee understand how to prioritize and differentiate various aspects of completing the work.
- Also, ensure they know when and how to ask questions.
See also this video on Delegation and this podcast on having an Open Door policy.