Delegation: water my plants
“Water my plants while I’m away.”
Read here what happens when this simple task is delegated unfavorably.
The doorbell rings. Daniel opens it and sees Silvia standing in the hallway with a large travel bag. She holds out her apartment key to Daniel and asks: “Would you please water the plants while I’m on vacation?” Daniel agrees. “All right.”
Daniel does his job. After ten days, there is no sign of Silvia: “Wait a minute, how long has she been gone? Did she mention that? I don’t remember.” The next day, Daniel walks into the apartment and startles Silvia, who has just come out of the shower. She later tells him what went wrong – quite a lot!
He has forgotten plant number one, a lucky feather, in the bedroom, which is now withered. A second plant, the rubber tree, is yellow and sick. Number three, the begonia, has mushrooms. The amaryllis, plant number four, is now home to a young colony of 1000 tiny fungus flies. Number five, a flowering plant, has an overflowing saucer – a few minutes after each watering. The tax return with enclosures lying on the floor were thoroughly soaked. The mold underneath has left ugly stains on the parquet. Traces of water can also be seen in other areas of the walnut floor. If the neighbor had known that there was a handy watering can in the cupboard by the entrance, he would have used it instead of the teapot.
The neighbor doesn’t want to be ungrateful, but she just can’t help getting her disappointment off her chest. He understands her grief and apologizes, but is annoyed. He trots off and says to himself: “I’m supposed to help and what’s the thanks? Nothing I do is right.”
Conclusion: Delegating something as simple as watering plants doesn’t take a lot of time – but it does take more than you think. Quickly thrown out jobs cause annoyance and headaches. And if it leads to disappointment, as in this case, the neighbor needs not only criticism but also praise and self-reflection. After all, the neighbor has made an effort and this should be acknowledged. Partial success!
If you want to delegate plant watering, write it down:
- How long will you be away?
- Where are all the plants? Or group them in one place.
- Determine the amount of water and frequency for each plant.
- Where is the watering can?
- What to watch out for? Draw attention to the risk of flooding due to saucers overflowing.
- Put the tax return away.
- How can you be reached for questions?
If plant watering is delegated to you, ask for the answers to the above questions. This will also please the plants.
