the volley tree

We’ve shared here several ways to delegate by default, so that you’re continually training the people who report to you to take on bigger responsibilities. These are ways to build a bench of great leaders, rather than a dutiful, limited cohort of followers.

One of the approaches I use in my own coaching and recommend to other leaders is the volley tree. For those with a law school background, it’s easy to think of this as a friendly version of the Socratic method. For those with a teaching background, you can think of this as improving the think ratio in your meetings. 

I’ve mapped the approach in the flow chart above. When a report comes to you with a challenge or question, you help them identify the answer by prompting them to model your thinking. Delivering the answer outright, with no provocative questioning, doesn’t elevate your report’s thinking or capability, much. It keeps you as “answer-haver” instead of the more useful role you can play: “growth-promoter”.

Simply put, before giving an answer, you ask the report how they think you would answer this question or handle this situation. You prompt them to spell out the reasoning for that answer. You go even further to ask them what they could do to sort this out without your help the next time.

The point of this isn’t to swat them away – it’s to enhance their ability to solve problems the way more senior people at the organization can and do. You’re helping them build skills and richer perspective. You can tell them that directly to allay anxiety they may have that there’s some other game afoot.

-ben