Session 6 Habit 3
Total Session Time: 2 hours
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
 Distinguish urgent/important from less urgent/less important tasks in their daily workflow.
 Assign their own work to each of four quadrants of Covey’s Time Management Matrix.
 Consider and commit to three strategies for greater efficiency that might work for them.
 Distinguish between effective and ineffective delegation scenarios.
 Practice a personal delegation scenario in advance of acting on it.
Session Overview
Step
1
2
Activity/
Method
Presentation,
Discussion,
Workbook
60 minutes Activity,
Brainstorm
and Group
Activity
Presentation,
Individual
60 minutes Activity,
Partner
Activity
Time
Leaders in Health Namibia Facilitator Guide
Session 6: Habit 3
Content
Resources
Needed
Introduction to Habit 3 and Time
Management (Slides 1-5)
LCD or
Overhead
Projector,
Covey
Workbook
Delegation (Slides 6-16)
LCD or
Overhead
Projector,
Handout 6.1,
Handout 6.2
133
Resources Needed






LCD or Overhead Projector
Slides
Handout 6.1: The Delegation Continuum
Handout 6.2: Delegation Worksheet
Steven Covey’s Personal Workbook
Flip Chart
Advance Preparation

Review the entire session prior to facilitating, to familiarize yourself
with the slides, speaker’s notes, learning activities, and supporting
materials.
Sources/Bibliography:
Refer to these materials for additional background reading, as needed.


Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Covey, S.R. (2003). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook. New York: Simon and
Schuster.
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Beginning the Session
Trainer Instructions: Step 1 (60 minutes)
Slide 1
Present Slides 1-5 using trainer notes and The Covey Workbook to guide the presentation and activities.
REVIEW Habits 1 and 2.
ASK participants: “What are Habits 1 and 2?”
EXPLAIN that Habit 3 is about putting first things
first. As you can see in our lives we have many daily
activities that compete for our time. How will we
find the time for everything we need to do?
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Session 6: Habit 3
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Slide 2
REVIEW the Time Management Matrix using the
following points and ASK participants for examples
for each quadrant.
•
Covey suggests we spend time in one of four
ways.
•
The first way, illustrated by quadrant 1 of
the matrix, is on urgent, important tasks. By
urgent we mean requiring immediate
attention. Some examples of this would be
crises, pressing problems, and deadlinedriven projects.
•
The second way, illustrated by quadrant 2, is on not urgent but important activities such as
prevention, PC activities, relationship building, recognizing new opportunities, planning,
recreation etc. These are important because they help us aver crisis. You might think
recreation isn’t important because it’s not urgent but it is important because if you are a
manager you need to take out to sharpen your saw (which we will talk about later.)
•
The third way, illustrated by quadrant 3, is on urgent but non-important issues such as
interruptions, some calls, mail, reports, pressing matters, popular activities. (One example
might be opening ceremonies.)
•
The fourth way, illustrated by quadrant 4, is on some mail, some phone calls, time wasters
and pleasant activities.
ASK participants the following questions, one by one, waiting for responses:
•
What do you think some of the results are of spending most of your time in quadrant 1? In
quadrant 3? In quadrant 4?
SUMMARIZE responses using the following information:
Quadrant 1:
• Stress
• Burnout
• Crisis management
• Always putting out fires
Quadrant 3:
• Short-term focus
• Crisis management
• Reputation-chameleon character
• See goals and plans as worthless
• Feel victimized, out of control
• Shallow or broken relationships
Quadrant 4:
• Total irresponsibility
• Fired from jobs
• Dependent on others or institutions for basics
Source: Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
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Slide 3
ASK participants to please complete the Time
Management Quick Assessment on page 64 of the
Covey Workbook. This will allow them to reflect on
how they are currently using their time.
ALLOW participants 10 minutes to complete the
assessment.
INSTRUCT participants to refer to page 65 of the
Covey Workbook to score their answers.
ALLOW participants 5 minutes to score their
answers.
ASK participants to observe which quadrant they are spending most of their time in.
ASK participants the following questions one by one, eliciting responses:
•
“How much can we control where we are spending our time?”
•
“Which jobs have a higher quotient of Quadrant 1 than others? Why?”
•
“Do you fit into this category?”
•
“Could you change this? How?”
Source: Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
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Slide 4
EXPLAIN the table on the slide with this
information:
Here is another way of looking at the quadrants:
•
Quadrant 1 is also considered “Quadrant of
Necessity” – you have to manage the best
you can when you are focused on activities
in this area.
•
Quadrant 2 is considered “Quadrant of
Quality and Personal Leadership” – you will
want to focus here. And if you do, you will
achieve your goals faster.
•
Quadrant 3 is also considered “Quadrant of Deception” – you want to be careful here –
these activities may appear urgent, however, when in relation to your goals, they are not
important.
•
Quadrant 4 is the “Quadrant of Waste” – you will want to avoid these activities as much as
possible. The more time you spend here, the fewer goals you achieve.
ASK participants to look at the black arrow at the top of the slide. The Quadrant of Quality &
Personal Leadership directly impacts how easy or hard it is to manage the Quadrant of Necessity.
•
Your focus should be on Quadrant 2 to achieve goals faster and be a leader. This can apply
to leaders at any level of an organization and in other aspects of life. By focusing your
efforts in this quadrant, you can impact your ability to manage urgent activities that come
as best you can.
•
Be careful in the third quadrant, the area of deception, these tasks appear urgent but have
no relation to your goals!
•
Quadrant 3 is best to avoid as much as possible.
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Slide 5
ASK participants to brainstorm several “timewasters” they face at work.
WRITE them on a flipchart/board.
Some examples might include: unplanned
meetings, emails, unplanned workshops, telephone
calls, drop-ins, reports, ceremonies
ASK participants to vote on which 3 items on the
list affect them most in their day-to-day activities
at work.
CIRCLE the top 5.
DIVIDE participants into groups of 5.
ASSIGN each group one of the time-wasters that the group voted on.
INSTRUCT participants to discuss in small groups some strategies to overcome this time-waster
and record them on a flip chart.
ALLOW participants 15 minutes to discuss the strategies.
ASK each group to present.
WRAP UP activity by:
•
Asking participants to add any additional strategies they can think of.
•
Asking participants to turn to the person next to them and discuss how this
urgent/important content (and the strategies created by the group) applies to their own
time management and how they might change the way they work to be more effective.
Source: Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Photo Source: Ryan Hyde,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/breatheindigital/4972420374/sizes/z/in/photostream/
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Trainer Instructions: Step 2 (60 minutes)
Slide 6
Present Slides 6-16 using trainer notes and Handouts 6.1: Delegation Continuum and 6.2: Delegation
Worksheet to guide the presentation and activities.
EXPLAIN that effective delegation is an important
time management activity. It is also one of the best
ways a manager can help staff grow professionally.
In fact, research by the Center for Creative
Leadership concluded that the most significant way
people learn is through challenging assignments.
Training is number five on the list.
ADD that delegation is also is the best way for you
to manage your own time more effectively and to
fully tap the talent of the people who work for you
and with you.
Slide 7
CLARIFY that you do not just delegate to your own
staff. Sometimes, you will delegate to a member of
a team you’re leading, committee,or even to a peer
on a task force on which you both may be serving.
The content on the next slides can be used in all
delegation situations.
ASK participants “Why delegate?”
SUMMARIZE participant responses and ADD in the
following:
Get the work done
Help people grow
Meet deadlines
Manage workload
Tap available talent
Help clarify job responsibilities
Translate ideas into actions
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Slide 8
ASK participants “What makes this poor
delegation?”
SUMMARIZE participant responses and ADD in the
following:
Slide 9
She is not clear about the deadline, deliverables,
authority, priority, resources, or purpose. She
doesn’t consider what else the employee is working
on.
ASK participants “What makes this better
delegation?”
SUMMARIZE participant responses and ADD in the
following:
She is clear about what is wanted, when and why.
She keeps the door open for questions and
concerns. She asks the employee about their ability
to get it done. She creates an opening for you to ask
questions and get clarity. Even if you know the
subject, you need to know what someone else
wants.
EXPLAIN that as much as you want people to grow,
they won’t just grow automatically. They need your
assistance. If someone says they can’t do what you
ask, this is a perfect time for you to offer to help
them re-prioritize their work. Identify which tasks
are more of a priority to you so he or she knows
where to begin.
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Slide 10
REFER participants to Handout 6.1: Delegation
Continuum.
PRESENT slide using the following points:
•
The delegation continuum is a tool for
managers.
•
It helps you visualize how much authority
the manger has, and how much freedom an
employee has for any particular task.
•
There are many appropriate places within
the continuum that represent effective
delegation.
•
The continuum was developed in the 1960s and 1970s by Bob Tannenbaum and Warren
Schmidt.
EXPLAIN that there are many appropriate places to land to delegate effectively. It depends on the
urgency, importance, experience, track record, and complexity of the assignment. A less
experienced employee is typically given less authority; an employee who has proven him or herself
is given more authority.
REVIEW the handout and EXPLAIN that for number 7, empowerment, this depends very much on
the context. Take the example of a car accident, if you are a trained nurse you do not need to go
back to your supervisor and ask for permission to attend to the injured individual or to take him or
her to the hospital. As I said earlier, it depends on the urgency, importance, experience, track
record and complexity of the assignment.
ASK if participants have any comments or questions before continuing.
Slide 11
Source: Bob Tannenbaum and Warren Schmidt.
EXPLAIN that this worksheet is in their handbook.
It can be used to help supervisors delegate
effectively. This worksheet is useful because it
answers the key questions of what, when, and what
authority an employee has.
Source: Richard Wilkinson, I-TECH HR Director
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Slide 12
EXPLAIN that this this example of how the
delegation worksheet can be used.
Slide 13
ASK participants to take a moment to complete
this delegation sheet for an assignment they hope
to give someone they work with. After 10 minutes,
INSTRUCT participants to share their completed
worksheet with a partner.
Source: Richard Wilkinson, I-TECH HR Director
ALLOW 5 minutes for partner discussion.
ASK the group:
•
•
What did you find helpful?
•
What was difficult?
To what extent would using this help you and those who work for you?
EXPLAIN that there are three ways you might use this worksheet:
1. Complete it and give it to the delegate
2. Use it as a guide in writing an email
3. Keep it in mind as a mental checklist as you delegate to someone verbally
EXPLAIN that if you delegate often this is just intended to serve as a guide. You do not have to fill
it out everytime. It may, however, depend on the employee, sometimes they would like having
a form. Sometimes it can save you time if they have to come back and ask you several times
for clarification. It also serves as a record that you delegated a task if the employee were to
later say, “you never told me to do that.”
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Slide 14
WRAP-UP the session by explaining that highly
effective people manage themselves more than
time. This is a new way of thinking for most
people.
EXPLAIN that to effectively manage ourselves we
must:
•
Organize and execute work around
priorities.
•
Develop strategies to avoid getting lost in
the urgent and unimportant tasks that
come our way.
•
Delegate in a meaningful way, setting clear expectations and guidelines for employees.
•
Focus on enhancing relationships and accomplishing results (p/pc balance) rather than time
or things.
•
Spend most of our time on Quadrant 2 activities, important but not urgent tasks. People
who spend a majority of their time in Quadrant 2 are leading balanced, serene and ordered
lives. They are planning and executing according to their highest priorities. The 8 habits are
mostly in Quadrant II- being proactive, prioritizing your mission, putting first things first,
finding win/win solutions, listening, slowing down and seeking input, renewal and
relationship building, and finding your voice and inspiring others to find theirs. These
activities are not urgent, but VERY important and too often sacrificed.
Slide 16
Source: Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon and
Schuster. 1989. p. 62.
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Session 6: Habit 3
PRESENT slide.
ASK if participants have any questions.
144
Handout 6.1: Delegation Continuum
The Schmidt-Tannenbaum Scale
Authority
Supervisor
Centered
Employee Centered
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
Tell: “Do exactly what I say.”
Questions are okay; no latitude in implementing direction.
2
Research: “Look into this and tell me what you come up with. I’ll decide.”
This is asking for investigation and analysis, but no recommendation.
3
Recommend: “Give me your recommendation and other options, along with the pros and cons of each. I’ll
decide and let you know.”
Asks for analysis and a recommendation, but the supervisor will still make the final decision.
4
Consult: “Let’s discuss what you’ve learned and your views on the best approach. We’ll decide together.”
Give and take is the hallmark of Consultative delegation. The employee is seen as an equal contributor to the final
course of action.
5
Check, then do: “Let me know your decision, then go ahead unless I say not to.”
Now the employee begins to control the action. This subtle increase in responsibility saves time.
6
Inform: “Decide and take action, but let me know what you did.”
The supervisor defines the limits for an assignment, then the employee decides. Saves more time and allows a
quicker reaction to wrong decisions.
7
Empower: “Decide and take action; you need not check back with me.”
Employee functions within limits defined by the supervisor. This is the most freedom that we can give another
person on a task. A high level of confidence is necessary, and needs good controls to ensure mistakes are flagged.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN DELEGATION
Experience, ability, urgency, availability, past performance, motivation, risks/rewards
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Handout 6.2: Delegation Worksheet
Should this task be done? If yes, then…
Tell the employee…
DELIVERABLE: The result you want and why it matters
DEADLINE: When you want it
CHECK-IN: How frequently you want to be updated
AUTHORITY: How far the employee go on his or her own
Ask the employee…
What OBSTACLES he or she anticipates?
How this task fits with his or her other
PRIORITIES?
What RESOURCES he or she needs?
How confident he or she is in completing the
task on TIME?
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