The concept of DELEGATION is a great way for a leader to begin breaking away from being a micro-manager. Delegation develops two-way trust (that you trusted me to do this and that I know you can be trusted to get the job done). Delegation develops people to be better prepared to do higher-level work. It develops thinking skills, problem solving abilities, initiative, confidence, and self-esteem. It also allows you to discover strengths and weaknesses of your people. Consider this scenario…by delegating, I am developing that person to take on more responsibility and allowing me time to practice leadership in other areas. If I take advantage of this opportunity, I can also become a better coach to those that I have delegated to, since I will have to do some coaching along the way. The challenge is not to do too much and get in the way…after all, too much coaching can signal a lack of trust. When you delegate, keep these factors in mind; be available, since there may be questions and issues that come up. Also, remember to give the authority necessary to do the job…nothing is more frustrating than to be given the assignment but not the authority to get it done.
And here’s a HUGE, BIG, VERY IMPORTANT point! Regardless of the outcome, the responsibility of the delegated action remains with you! …If it goes well, the person who did the work gets the credit; if it doesn’t go so well—guess who gets the blame?…that’s right, Mr/Mrs. LEADER, You! This piece is crucial to your ability to gain buy-in to the whole idea of delegation. What I mean here is that one of the killers to delegating is the ‘risk’ aspect. You must take the risk out of the equation for them - the only real risk here is the one that you are taking, by delegating. Tip: It is a good idea to bring your own boss into the thought-process when delegating…so he/she realizes and buys into the idea of taking this risk with your people. You also may discover that this particular action or project is one that the boss does not want you to risk. Hence, that was a good idea to involve the boss, huh?
Bottom line?...by practicing real delegation, in the process you have learned more about delegation, coaching, relationship-building, developing people, identified strengths, utilized resources effectively, support, praise and on and on and on…as well as improved trust. And who knows, with enough of this, properly done, you may actually get a day off sometime soon!?!
Concept addressed within the Great 8 Leadership Principles/my book, The Conference for Leaders...
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