How Many Balls Are You Throwing?
If you are a manager, there is a cost in you not delegating. If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate. Here are some tips that help with delegating effectively:
Shift from doing to leading
As a manager, your impact isn’t based on what you achieve directly, but through your team. Don’t stretch your own limits, stretch the limits of your team. If you have a hard time delegating, spend a few moments in mindful contemplation and ask yourself "What am I struggling to let go of? What is my worst fear? What do I think will happen if I delegate?"
Map the right problems to the right people
Find the right balance between what you will delegate and what you will have to do yourself. And sometimes this is tricky because you know you can do a lot, and it might be faster if you just do it yourself than train or teach someone how to do it as well as you could. But this is leadership in action. Define what you and only YOU can do. Then delegate the rest. Define which team member is best for each task.
Delegate problems, not solutions
Think in terms of the final outcome you desire and not the specific tasks someone needs to do to achieve it. Focus on results, not the method. Share WHAT & WHY, not HOW. Different people will take different approaches. Don’t let your ego or perfectionism obstruct others from getting work done.
Delegate, don’t abdicate
When your team faces challenges with a task you assigned them, help them find their own solutions by asking questions. Set upfront expectations on intermediate milestones. Align on frequency of updates. Discuss how and when you can touch base to keep things moving.
Incorporate feedback loops
The only way to know where you stand and what you can do to improve is to incorporate feedback from the process. Spend some review time with your team to understand how delegation worked for them. The only way to know where you stand and what you can do to improve is to incorporate feedback from the process. Spend some review time with your team to understand how delegation worked for them.