One of the toughest challenges facing leaders is when to delegate work they themselves can do better and faster. And without the time it takes to explain and educate someone else. But the only way for others to learn and develop is to be given the chance to do what their leader can do more effectively.
When tasks don’t require the skills of the leader to be successful, delegating the work makes the most sense. Leaders understand they have only so much time and can do only so much. They also appreciate that their primary role is to develop the skills and talents of others. When the conditions are right, good leaders delegate.
Defining the desired outcome and passing the task to a team member is all that is required. Checking in to see how things are going is an important ingredient as is a dose of patience when a team member doesn’t execute exactly as the leader would.
In the end, however, developing others is what matters most and that can’t happen without delegation. As the African proverb reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
