Knowing how to delegate is a key skillset to support your own goals and keeping a balance of responsibilities. By focusing on what you can help others on the team have responsibility for, you not only accomplish time for your development, but you also become a leader who is focused on their growth and development. What employee doesn’t love to report to a leader like that?
Delegation is one of the toughest areas of growth for a leader.
You start your career being rewarded for getting a lot done, managing tasks well, and really being responsible for only your work. As you continue to grow and expand your individual skillset, you start to get noticed. You are promoted to a lead in your area, you may start to help train others, but at the end of the day you are evaluated solely on how much you get completed and the level of quality produced.
Then one day, they want to promote you and make you the manager of a team or area.
In one day, you went from being an individual contributor --to being evaluated on the work product of others.
Also, you are evaluated on how efficient and effective this team can accomplish work. That requires a whole different skillset than where we started this story. Many times, a first-time manager is not given the time or knowledge on how to build the skills to make this important transition in their career.
To be an effective delegator we need to stop looking at it as we are dumping work on others but giving them the chance to grow their knowledge and skills.
One of the first skills that you will need to focus on, and build will be how to delegate well. As a leader who had the opportunity to coach many first-time leaders, this is one of the most challenging mindsets and skills to build. You may even know some seasoned managers who really struggle with this skill. As a high performer for years, you were praised for your work, now you will be praised for how you help others accomplish their work while also growing the department and creating profitability. If this resonates with you, there are a few questions you should ask yourself on where to start your journey to build the delegation skillset. Often, we feel like we should just add the additional responsibility of leading others to our full plate of duties but there will come a moment when that is no longer effective. I encourage you to start by deciding which 3 tasks you will transition to a team member and which team member you could trust to complete the work.
To gain additional time to manage my team and the department work:
- What tasks am I currently responsible for that could be delegated to others?
- Which 3 items should I start with?
- Who has the ability to own these tasks?
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While new managers go through this process it brings many mindset issues to the surface. One I heard repeatedly was “I don’t want to dump my work on someone else.” I would challenge this statement with a question, “I believe someone trusted you enough to train you on the process and give you responsibility to own it at one time. Why don’t you feel the same way?”
Fear of delegation can be rooted in many things: control, lack of trust, self-confidence in how to delegate well, letting go of something you do well, etc.
To be an effective delegator we need to stop looking at it as we are dumping work on others but giving them the chance to grow their knowledge and skills.
Another question that can be powerful on this delegation journey is: “If I continue with my current workload, what time do I have to grow new skills, dedicate to a cool project that challenges me, or attend training that makes me better at my job?”
If you never delegate tasks that help others grow, you are also stifling your own growth and development. You may become overwhelmed, unable to dedicate time to employee development or career development, and burnout could also set in.
One by-product of delegation many do not consider is it also frees your time to grow and learn new skills! On a periodic basis, annually or every few years, leaders should shed part of their responsibilities to their team, to allow for their own growth. Delegation is a key skillset to support your own goals and keeping a balance of responsibilities. By focusing on what you can help others on the team have responsibility for, you not only accomplish time for your development, but you also become a leader who is focused on their growth and development. What employee doesn’t love to report to a leader like that?
There is one thing we cannot get more of and that is time. As engaged leaders focused on employee development, delegation is a key ingredient to being in control of your time and the priorities you should be working on. One final question to ponder as you build your strength in delegation:
Am I really leading well if I cannot delegate to my team and help them achieve their career growth and development?
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To compete in today’s fast paced business environment, you must be willing to build strength in change leadership to achieve the level of success your company envisions. Contact Kristi at 402.510.6226 or kristi@envisionsuccess.com.