Thanks for joining us today. I’m your host, Jill Fowler of Songbird Leadership.
On today’s episode, I wanted to talk about an activity that is scary to some, but if done right, has the potential to be a real game-changer when it comes to saving time: Delegation. On the surface, it seems like such a simple concept – Assigning tasks to others on your team. In reality, it can be a complex, frightening, and nebulous notion for many. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
So, to start with, why are people prone to not delegating? What’s so scary about asking someone on your team to take over a task or project?
Many who are tight on time believe it’s faster if they just do the task themselves, rather than taking the time to delegate. While it may in fact take less time to not have to explain to someone what needs to be done for this one project, over time however, the potential time saved really begins to add up. Teach a man to fish, right? When someone is already overwhelmed, it can be really difficult to even fathom taking precious time—even 10 minutes—to delegate. They are overloaded, but they feel they can’t take time to give instruction, so they continue to do everything on their own, and they continue to be overloaded. It quickly becomes a vicious circle with no end in sight.
Another reason leaders give for not delegating is that the delegatee won’t do things the “right” way, meaning their way. There are as many different ways of doing things as there are people, and it’s nearsighted to believe your way is the only or best way of doing them. There’s a reason for the old adage of, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Because it’s true! When you involve other members of your team, you’re not only receiving the benefit of their wisdom, experience, and unique style, you’re also demonstrating your leadership skills while allowing them to flex their leadership muscle.
Honestly, when people say they can’t delegate because they can do things faster on their own or others won’t do things right, I think it’s because, deep down, they are really just feeling a little anxious or insecure. They worry the task won’t get done on time or mistakes will be made and then they’ll look bad or like an ineffective as a leader. Or, they’re concerned that the project will take on a life of its own and they will lose control. Or maybe they simply have a difficult time trusting others, especially if they are unproven. But the thing is, your team members will never have the opportunity to prove themselves if you don’t give them the chance to do so.
Whatever the true, internal reason people decide not to delegate, at the end of the day, it’s a costly decision in terms of both time and effective leadership. And that’s a shame because it’s so unnecessary. So, what can you do to become a better delegator, get some time back in your day, and become the type of leader you want to be?
To start, think of a task you have right now that could be done by someone else on your team. Take a moment and consider your overall goal in delegating the project. What are you trying to achieve? Why is this important to you, your department, or your organization? How will it impact your stakeholders? If you are clearly focused on the end result you desire from the beginning, you’ll be more likely to be effective in your delegation efforts.
Also consider your interest level in the project and how that interest will affect your behavior in your delegating efforts. For instance, if you are very invested in a project, will that make it more difficult for you to turn over the reins to someone else? Or, if you don’t have strong feelings about a task, might that make you less apt to monitor? The bottom line is you need to know yourself and think ahead to how you’ll naturally respond to the situation. If you’re anticipating anything other than a successful delegating experience, take a step back and reevaluate the situation.
Next, think about what level of delegation is required for the project. Will you be delegating the entire extent of work or just some parts within? What’s the scope of the work? Again, return to your stated goal for delegating. Is the level of delegation in alignment with our goal? Also review your timeline for completion, crucial milestones, and what steps are required along the way. In doing so, you’ll chart out your expectations for the project.
Now, identify the skills required to complete the task well and evaluate your team through the lens of those skills. Who is the best person for the job and why? What training is required? Who will perform that training? What other resources are necessary for success and how will those resources be acquired? How will progress be evaluated, when, and by whom?
Once you have identified the delegatee, identify how you plan to communicate with them, both at the onset of the delegation and along the way. Also, consider how you’d prefer for them to communicate their progress with you. Once you agree on how you’ll keep each other informed, stick to that plan, and resist the urge to hound them for updates once they take over, for this borders on micromanaging and also shows the delegatee that you don’t trust them to stay on track.
Other topics for communication should include everything you have already considered: scope of work, deadlines, training, goals, resources, evaluation method, etc.
Finally, involve the delegatee in the entire process. Learn of their ideas for a successful project and do your best to incorporate them. Ask about their concerns and work together to mitigate them. Acknowledge their contributions and reward their great work.
Once the project you have delegated is complete, take a moment to reflect and learn from your experience. Identify what worked well and where improvement could have occurred. Then, adjust your approach accordingly next time. With practice, you’ll become a more effective delegator and it will develop into a natural behavior.
This sounds like a lot, especially if you aren’t used to delegating. It can be hard to start delegating if you haven’t easily done so before. And there is no right time or perfect project to start, so just pick something and go for it. As with anything new, it’s going to take a little longer at the beginning. But over time, all of these steps will become second nature and you’ll naturally be identifying projects and people.
I know you are busy. But the rewards of delegating are huge, so spend some time up front to save time in the future.