Learning to delegate is hard for even the best leaders, but especially for those who hold high standards and prefer to exert control over everything important.
Fearing standards will drop if they don’t have direct oversight of a project or task, leaders often take the helm even when the best choice would be to delegate.
Some leaders even feel guilty when assigning tasks to others. Others worry about being perceived as less competent or lazy.
Nothing but unfounded fears.
Leaders who don’t learn how to delegate — and in doing so, teach others key lessons — undermine their team members’ long-term effectiveness.
Delegation is how good leaders leverage their time and focus. By delegating appropriate tasks and assignments, leaders open up ample time to concentrate on what really matters. What only they can do.
The ability to strategize, make critical decisions, select talent, and negotiate high-level agreements is made possible when leaders learn to delegate.
But even with all the obvious benefits, it’s still quite a challenge for those who know they can execute better than anyone else.
One best practice for learning to delegate and teaching it to others is remarkably simple.
Every project, assignment, decision, or initiative is made up of several steps or sub-actions. For instance, a major decision typically consists of data collection, analysis, option generation, risk assessment, and group debate, among other parts.
To learn delegation, the first step is to take the projects and assignments currently under your control and to identify the steps, actions, and segments required to complete them.
Now examine those activities and consider which of the sub-tasks can be delegated. While ideally, entire projects and initiatives should be delegated to others, starting small and getting more comfortable with delegation begins with smaller pieces of the pie.
Most projects are made up of dozens of requisite actions and steps. The idea is to get comfortable delegating a small set of them. At least one.
Parse out those tasks that can be delegated, decide who could handle the task with competence, and then pass them along. Be sure to give those entrusted with the task your guidelines, standards, and insights. Clearly define the criteria of success for the delegated task.
Now let go.
Over time, you will become comfortable handing over entire projects for others to execute. The more often you do, the more time you will have to focus on what matters more.
When leaders attempt to do more than they should, they quickly find themselves behind on greater strategic issues.
Without the right strategy, does perfect project execution even matter? Learning to delegate isn’t just an imperative. It is a necessity. Your ultimate effectiveness as a leader depends on it.
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