"Leaving it to someone" is not the same as "neglecting it."
When you want your juniors or subordinates to grow quickly, one straightforward approach is to “delegate tasks to them.” Delegating tasks is an effective way to draw out and foster their initiative and sense of responsibility, allowing them to experience firsthand the process of thinking for themselves and making decisions.
Construction management is, by its very nature, a leadership role, so the ability to make decisions on your own and a strong sense of responsibility are crucial. To that end, I believe that even if it’s a bit challenging, there’s a lot to be gained from letting people take on responsibilities once they’ve acquired a certain level of knowledge.
However, some people define the phrase “leaving it to someone else” as entrusting everything to that person and not getting involved at all. As a result, I feel that in some cases, this actually amounts to “neglecting” them. That won’t lead to growth.
"Leaving it alone" refers to a situation where, after giving instructions, you provide no follow-up or guidance and simply wait for the task to be completed. It’s just like waiting to see if you’ve won the lottery. In this scenario, both the supervisor and the subordinate end up proceeding in a state of anxiety from start to finish.
In a situation fraught with anxiety, you end up having to fight relying solely on your own initiative and sense of responsibility. When that happens, it’s not uncommon to reach completely absurd conclusions. A boss who offered no support whatsoever during the process ends up getting incredibly angry about the final result. That’s the kind of scenario that unfolds.
This is simply a case of the boss taking the easy way out. It’s easy—all they have to do is sit back and wait for it to be over, then make a big deal about it based on the final outcome. I can’t help but say, “Well, of course that’s how it turned out if you just left it alone.” This is what’s known as “exploitation of a sense of fulfillment.”
When this happens, you end up working without knowing the answer until the very last moment, and you learn to work while constantly feeling on edge. Far from being able to work freely, you start “searching for the right answer”—figuring out how to avoid getting scolded—and neither initiative nor a sense of responsibility ever takes root.
What subordinates need is to accumulate small successes.
So, what does it mean to “leave it to someone else”? First, let’s understand that work consists of three stages: planning, execution, and results. As the saying goes, “Eight-tenths of the work lies in preparation.” In this context, “preparation” refers to “planning.”
In other words, success depends on the plan; execution is just a matter of carrying it out. The results become apparent afterward. When delegating work to subordinates who are still inexperienced, you should generally entrust them with the “execution.” It’s easier to understand if you think of it that way.
In other words, “leaving it to them” means paying close attention during the planning phase—which accounts for 80% of the process—and then giving them the freedom to carry out the implementation while keeping an eye on things. And it doesn’t matter what the outcome is. If the planning phase goes smoothly, the recovery effort will only take up the remaining 20%, right? A supervisor should be able to handle that much.
What subordinates need is to accumulate small successes. I think forcing them to carry out a plan that has gone off track—even when it’s clear it’s bound to fail—is tantamount to a public execution. I believe it’s an action that will only cause them to lose confidence.
After all, implementation is simply a review of the plan. Even so, for a subordinate trying it for the first time, it’s a major adventure. Those experiences accumulate and become invaluable, leading to confidence. That confidence spurs them to take on the next challenge, and they begin to think, “I want to try planning this on my own.” This is what initiative is all about.
Planning is, in essence, a “way of thinking.” It is the very process of arriving at your own answer from among an infinite number of possibilities. That’s why it’s difficult—and that’s why it can be applied in countless ways. But if you can’t visualize the outcome, you can’t make a plan.
So, the first step is to let them experience carrying out the task on their own. It’s important to support their growth so they can use that experience to develop their own plans.
However, simply leaving everything up to them is the same as neglecting them. That won’t help your subordinates grow, nor will it build trust. To make them feel that “I’ll take responsibility in the end,” you need to thoroughly approve their plans and allow them to take on challenges with a certain degree of reassurance—that is what developing your subordinates is all about.
