The Art Of Delegation
5 tools to help you hone your technique + advice from Batman
If you want to carve out time to take on new, bigger challenges you need to make a shift in what you do day to day.
Yet many leaders tell me they find themselves consumed by more of the routine and operational aspects of their work than they'd like. And it often gets in the way of them making a broader strategic impact.
Knowing what to delegate and who to delegate to is critical. But it's not always as easy as it sounds.
Not least because the art of delegation isn’t a one-time mastered skill. No matter how much you hone your ability to delegate, there are two parties involved. You and the person you are delegating to. And as much as you can build trust with them and communicate well, you can’t know for sure what they need from you, or control what they do.
There is emotion attached to delegation too.
When you hand over something to someone else, if you want them to take ownership, you need to let go.
Let go of control, let go of the 'what if', and let go of the guilt.
Because the more you delegate the smaller things, the more investment you can make in the bigger things.
And that's where you'll make your difference.
To help you reflect on and hone your delegation technique here are six things that will get your leadership juices flowing.
Meantime if you haven’t already, hit the button below:
Wise words: By the management guru, Jack Canfield, describes four choices that leaders have when faced with a task.
Think about your work this week.
Assign a percentage to the tasks you’ve been faced with that you have done, delegated, delayed, or dumped.
Step back. What would you like the percentage balance to be? And what could it be?
What do you need to believe to start operating this way?
Watch: Delegating can be tough, and research shows that it’s something that some of us, especially women, do find harder. At 2.38 this is a short watch, about research at the prestigious Columbia Business School, which will make you think about the double bind that impacts women leaders (aspiring and experienced).
If you are female, have women in your team or want to build a more inclusive team it’s worth watching.
Rule: Consider the 80% rule. When your team can do a task 80% as well as you can, let them take the reigns. They’ll grow into the 20%, and for many activities, the risk outweighs the gains on your time and it will help them develop professionally.
What can your team do 80% as well as you that you aren’t currently delegating?
Of those, what one thing can you delegate to each individual team member, today?
Play long. What support and development is required to get your team closer to 80% in key tasks so that delegation is possible in the longer term?
Feedback: To delegate effectively requires the ability to give targeted feedback. Read last week’s issue on why the 'F' word is a challenge for leaders + 6 tools to make it easier here:
Step by step: Peter Economy’s piece for Inc.com walks through the upside of delegation and has 9 simple tips to experiment with. What will you try more of?
And finally, in case you need a reminder:
Last Weeks Issue: Get Better Feedback
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