Hi. As leaders, we really spend our time on two major things. Firstly, setting up folks with projects or assignments—things that they need to do. We want to set them up for success, but we also need the task done. Secondly, once the task is underway, we focus on monitoring, coaching, and guiding to help them be successful.

To facilitate that, there’s a very powerful tool called the Leader’s Triad. The Leader’s Triad is made up of three elements. The first is to pay attention to the power of the individual—the person who is actually responsible for the task. They have the accountability. They might be working on their own, working with others, or leading a team.

The second element is the power of the team. We want to make sure the individual has the resources they need, along with the empowerment and clarity necessary for their decision-making authority. But we also need to ensure they have the right team around them—the right people to support them.

The third is the power of clarity. We want to ensure they are absolutely clear on what they need to accomplish. For example, there’s a big difference between “make sales,” “make profitable sales,” “make profitable sales this quarter,” and “make profitable sales this quarter within the context of our culture.” So, as leaders, we want to provide the level of clarity they need to move forward confidently, without later saying, “I didn’t know what you meant.”

Focusing on the power of the individual, the power of the team, and the power of clarity when you set up an assignment is critical. Here’s the interesting part: once the assignment is underway, this Triad can also serve as a monitoring tool. If you feel the need to check in to ensure things are on track or to investigate why things might not be going as expected, this Triad helps diagnose the issue. Is it a matter of the individual, requiring focus there? Or is it a team-related issue, or perhaps one of clarity? The Leader’s Triad provides a tool that not only helps set up the project initially but also serves as a diagnostic to identify where to focus when things aren’t progressing as they should.