The truth is, getting the most out of other people’s skill sets and time requires that you give up (most) control over execution.  When I ran my business, I sometimes had difficulty trusting other people to do things and delegating tasks. This caused me to focus on low ROI tasks rather than much more important ones.

A control freak may be okay in a physical world where everyone is always in the same place, but in a remote-first world, relinquishing control isn't an option.

Fact - you can’t be there and stand next to the employee.

Fact - you don’t know how employees spend their time - just the results they produce.

So let's be clear: unless you want to do everything yourself, you need to learn to let go of control to most effectively leverage other people's time and expertise.

The question is - “how to do it while still feeling in control?”

To give up control, you’ll need to start with two things

In retrospect, I discovered that I was missing two things that prevented me from relinquishing control: the right employees and a management system.

The first step in relinquishing control is to hire suitable types of individuals - the ones you can trust to perform the essential tasks. If I hire a functional SME (subject matter expert) like a marketer, he/she needs to be qualified enough to perform the basic activities the role requires.

Second, you need a system to manage them. A sound system allows you to keep control while allowing the individual to do their job. It solves both sides of the equation.  Without both - you won’t succeed.

The purpose of this article is to teach you how to build a system that enables you to take a step back. Before that can happen - make sure to hire qualified employees.

Using EOS tools and real-world experience, this system consists of four steps:

1. Set clear goals and success metrics - TOGETHER

“A class” employees want to succeed. They want to be excellent - they just need to know what “success” is. Therefore, the first step is to define “success”, both for the individual and for the company as a whole.

A company's success (hopefully) is clearly defined in its vision and strategy. If you haven't done so, spend some time defining the company's success.  If the end goal isn’t clear, don’t be surprised if people will row in different directions as they see fit.

The next step is to determine how each individual can contribute to the overall success of the company. What must they accomplish to bring the vision into reality? These goals can also be called "rocks,” which are individual 90-day activities. Spend considerable time developing 3-5 rocks each employee should focus on. These tasks, or rocks, will clearly outline how they will spend their time ahead.

You should discuss the rocks with your employees and go through multiple rounds of feedback until you both approve the final draft. It is not a good idea to set rocks by yourself. It is unlikely that employees will feel a sense of ownership if you set them for them. Additionally, if they write them entirely by themselves, they may write them incorrectly. Setting them together avoids both.

SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) are crucial. Don't skip any of the attributes. If you do, you'll lose control before you even start. There is no middle ground. They need to be clear and binary - either we achieved them, or we didn't.

When done correctly, you'll have identified the 3-5 most important things that need to happen, including metrics and “by-when.”

The 90-day activities will require frequent check-ins to make sure everything is going well; however, before you do so, you should set some ground rules:

2. Align expectations - put everything on the table

As a manager, your job is to ensure the employee accomplishes the rocks. That means you’re going to work together. I have come to realize that everyone works differently and with different styles. Ultimately, this will lead to friction and tension between you and the employee. Managing that step is crucial.

Before starting to execute, spend time discussing:

• How do you like to work? (do you like to get updates every step of the way or only when the house is on fire? How fast do you expect them to respond to a question?)
• How do they like to work? (Weekends? Deep work sessions? Direct feedback?)
• What do you both think is going to prevent you from succeeding? (do they have all the resources they need? Do they have any open questions?)
• What level of involvement would you (the manager) like to have in this?
• What is acceptable? What are your priorities? (for the manager—speed vs. quality?)

The previous list is just a brief example of what needs to be discussed before executing. Any time spent on this exercise will yield significant ROI and set you on the right path.

Since the rocks are set for 90 days and you'll meet more often than once a quarter, you will need a system that tells you if you’re making incremental progress and on track:

3. Use a Scorecard to track weekly progress

A scorecard is one of the most useful tools for EOS users. Basically, it is a list of top 5-15 metrics that are monitored every week to ensure you are moving in the right direction. It is also broken down into 13 weeks to help identify trends over time.

An adequately designed rock should be measurable and can be broken down into a weekly metric if you design it correctly. For example, if the rock is "Close 120 deals worth over $10K each by December 31st," the employee must close at least 10 deals each week (120/12 weeks) and generate $70k per week. There will be two metrics: "closed deals" and "revenue generated.”

This is an example of a historic metric, you track the result from the previous week each week. A better way is to track “leading metrics” - metrics that will alert you to the outcome before it occurs. If, for example, it takes 100 calls for 10 deals to be closed, you can (and should) track how many calls you made this week. If that number is less than 100, you will know you will not meet this week’s goal on average.

A Scorecard is one way to track progress, but you have to get into the habit of tracking progress using numbers. Numbers can never be argued with. If you use exact numbers and weekly goals, you'll be able to cut through the feelings and excuses. Either the goal was met (that's great) or it wasn't (you can talk about it and fix it).

This tool can be used in your weekly leadership meeting in a group form, but you should also:

4. Set a recurring weekly 30-minute 1:1 sync meeting

Individual synchronizations with employees are a hot topic: some people love them, while others dislike them. I learned that in a remote-first world, it's not an option - it's a requirement. You won't know what's happening if you don't set the time and place for these conversations. There are no water-cooler conversations where you can get that “soft” information.

I love to use these meetings to:

• Check the Scorecard and rocks to see if there are any problems. If there are, we discuss them and uncover the obstacles.
• Discuss their next steps and thought process - there are many ways to accomplish a goal. When functional employees share their thought processes, you will be able to identify where their actions are not aligned with the company's overall strategy. They often don't see the whole picture, so you'll need to help adjust how they’re executing.
• Reiterating priorities - since many employees have 3-5 rocks, it's essential you help them prioritize their list. The rocks are not all created equal and you don't execute them in a linear fashion. You need to clearly explain which activities are high ROI and which are more (or less) time-sensitive.
• Mental check-in - Ask them how they're doing. How are things? How's their mood? What's going on in their head? Many times people will not share unless asked. Ask. Having employees feel supported is essential for morale.

Conclusion

Leveraging other people's skills requires giving up control.

At the core, this system is very simple: define “success” and create habits around tracking binary progress.

Adapt the system to work for your company, and surround yourself with competent and trustworthy individuals. Everything else will happen organically.  When you see these goals are being met along the way, or at least are able to tackle obstacles regularly, you will not feel the need to take ownership of every aspect of a project. Your role as a manager/mentor will feel much more fulfilling and in the process, you’ll get credit for the development of others. It’s another great skill to have.

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