Learning, delegation and empowerment

There is a shift in the balance of power in a typical coaching, mentoring or managerial relationship.  Here I use the terms, ‘coach’ and ‘client’.  At first the coach may need to manage the client, having power ‘over’.  As the work progresses, the coach hands back power, sharing it with the client.  Towards the close of the work, the coach leaves the stage but remains in the wings, on call for assistance, having power ‘under’.  

Paul Hersey’s Situational Leadership model provides a process for delegating responsibility and power.  He plotted the amount of structure a manager would give to a subordinate against the closeness of relationship the manager would exercise.  He then described growth in terms of a passage through these quadrants.

In the first quadrant the coach tells the client exactly how it should be done, what it will look like and when it will be complete.  This low relationship and high structure is reassuring. 

As the client grows in their understanding, they enter into the second quadrant.  The coach asks open questions about how the client will deal with the task at hand.  “Where have you seen this before?” is a good generic question which may be followed by “OK so what is your plan this time?”

The third quadrant requires patience and attention.  The client assumes responsibility for initiating a task.  The coach listens out for questions.  As the questions come the coach can steer the client towards a way forward.  The wisdom is required to evaluate a situation where the client does not ask.  The client may have slipped back into the previous quadrant, in which case the coach should go back to asking open questions.  Or the client may have grown into the next quadrant.

In the final quadrant, the client may share a little about how they are dealing with a situation.  But this will be to humour you as coach or may be politeness.  They will not feel inclined to give details and may seem impatient or even annoyed when prompted for feedback.  Part of letting go as a coach is realising that the client may not even respond positively to the feedback from the coach that they have reached this level of maturity.

I believe empowerment is taken rather than given and this model may help you to gauge the level to which your client is taking on the responsibility and freedom of accountability.

Dealing with the client in the wrong quadrant can be disorientating and frustrating for both parties.  Also we may have a tendency to leave out quadrants.  Some managers do not know how to exercise ‘High Relationship’ just as some managers do not know how to leave their charges to get on with the job.  And of course some managers only know how explain everything in great detail and others could explain how to do a job if their lives depended on it.

So, look around.  Who are you working with?  Which quadrant are they in?  How best should you work with them there?