“No one can do it as well as I can.”
Do those words sound familiar? I’ll be the first to admit I have been guilty of “hoarding” tasks due to my over-inflated ego and perfectionistic tendencies as a business owner and leader. Delegating tasks often sounds like a great idea and a simple solution in theory, but put it into action and leaders quickly realize there is actually an art to successful delegation. While it does take effort, practice, and strategy, I can tell you with full confidence that mastering the art of delegation will provide an incredible ROI to your business.
I once heard that a leader’s role (and goal) is to become a multiplier – someone who measures their own success based upon the number of team members’ successes and the productivity of others. I couldn’t agree more. Delegation is one of the most important ways a leader can give his/her people a “hand-up,” providing team members the opportunity and the support to take on new responsibilities, try new tasks, and find success by stretching beyond their existing abilities.
If you are a leader navigating the challenges of delegation, here are three key benefits to focus upon as you ride the ups and downs of the process.
Delegation enables leaders to prioritize workload and maximize resources.
Have you ever stopped and analyzed all of the tasks you complete in a given week? Some of those tasks are in your “zone of genius” – tasks that tap into your unique skills and strengths. Yet a large portion of your weekly tasks are likely outside of that zone. They are either tasks you are good at, but do not really enjoy or excel at, or they are tasks you dislike and also struggle with. Chances are, you have team members or can find outside resources, who could take on those later categories and complete the tasks with greater ease and efficiency…because they fall into THEIR zone of genius. Ask yourself these questions and see what you discover:
- What tasks am I uniquely qualified to complete?
- What tasks do I dislike but complete with competency?
- What tasks do you dislike and struggle with?
- What tasks do your team members enjoy and complete with ease & efficiency?
Delegation facilitates empowerment and development of the team.
As John Maxwell says, “A leader is great not because of his/her power, but because of his/her ability to empower others.” When you, as a leader, take on that challenge to be a multiplier, delegating tasks becomes an opportunity versus an obstacle. The first step to take is to begin having conversations with your team members to learn what skills they want to learn/improve/master, where they feel they already excel, and in what areas professionally they want to grow and stretch. Then take a look at that list of your tasks you created (see above) and identify tasks for which you can begin to train them. Create a reasonable timeline for the team member to learn and practice, and also consider that they may also have ideas regarding how to do things differently to get a similar (or better) result! It is safe to say, this process will also stretch and improve your own skills in the areas of communication, teaching and mentoring.
Delegation creates a Culture of Contribution.
Most people work not solely for the money, but also because they want to be part of a community where they can contribute to something bigger than what they can accomplish alone. As a leader, are you looking for opportunities to pull together team members for collaboration, brainstorming, and group problem-solving? Or, are you trying to “protect” your team from the struggles and challenges you &/or the business are facing?
Consider working towards the creation of a culture of contribution, where delegation is an invitation to co-create amongst your team. Whenever possible, verbalize how individual and group tasks/projects are connected to the bigger company vision and are impacting the “why” of the business. Set the example for your team and normalize asking for help. Explore how delegation can maximize the differences and bring together the various perspectives and experiences of your employees.
Maybe it is true that no one can do it the same way as you, but it is also true that there are multiple ways to achieve the same result. Consider if now is the time for you to level up your leadership through the use of delegation.
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