Take the Plunge - Delegate

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You are not delegating enough. Maybe you are afraid to let go of the work. Maybe you don’t trust anyone else to do it as well as you. Maybe since it’s a task you don’t like, you assume nobody could like it. But not everyone is you. Delegating can help your employees learn and grow. Handing over additional responsibilities can be a show of confidence, and allow your employees to rise to the occasion and shine. Set clear expectations for what success looks like, communicate any boundaries or constraints, and let them deliver!

Who can you allow to shine? 

Face it. You can’t do it all. And even if you could, would you really want to? Let’s dig into the first tip of 128 Tips to Make You a More Effective Leader and take a practical approach to moving through this obstacle.

Identifying what is holding you back from delegating can be the hardest step of the process. Looking inward can be uncomfortable. Being aware of your ineffective delegation habits is a great start. Now let’s get to the root cause:

 I have not delegated this because:

 If you can identify the why, you can then tackle how to delegate more.

Common examples:

  • I don’t trust anyone else to do it.
  • I can do it faster, better.
  • I can maintain control over it.
  • It’s boring and I can’t ask anyone else to do boring work.
  • Which one do you identify with?

Here is the thing – maybe you can do it better, faster. Maybe nobody in your office can be trusted. But if you hold on to everything, you fall behind, your performance may suffer, and nobody in your company grows. Set clear expectations for success, lay out a communications plan so you are not blindsided, and remind yourself that:

  • What you find boring, someone else might find fascinating.
  • What you are faster, better at, someone else might also be good at… or exceptional at.
  • What you can control by doing, you can manage by delegating.
  • When you can’t easily trust, you can put systems in place to mitigate the risks.
  • When issues arise, proactively address them and note the lessons learned.

You got this! What will you delegate today?