Cultivate, Replicate, Delegate — CAPSTONE COACHING

I keep hearing it from so many people. “I am swamped!” “I have way too much to do.” “I need to learn to delegate more.”

Delegating is a concept that sounds simple in theory, but is actually much more difficult to carry out. However it is such a game changer when leaders can successfully implement it. For that reason, today we see no shortage of literature on the subject. Yet no matter how many training materials people consume, many leaders still struggle with this core concept of leadership. So why is that? Some of the common reasons I hear from leaders for not being able to delegate include:

I am the only one who knows how to do this task
I can’t trust my team to get it done in time
Whenever I delegate to my team, there are too many mistakes
That’s not the way I would have done it
It’s easier for me to do it myself

Does this sound at all like you? Furthermore, when many people hear the word delegate, it often conjures up an image similar to Bill from Office Space. You know who I’m talking about right?

An apathetic task master handing out chores to his employees with no concern for their success. Even if you have never watched the movie, chances are you have felt this before. The problem is we have never envisioned a definition for delegating as something that includes serving and empowering your people.

At its core, delegation is much more an exercise in emotional intelligence than project or resource management. It’s not simply a binary process of accomplishing a task, but an opportunity to advance your people, replicate your skill sets and ultimately, create a greater platform and scale for your operations. It’s not getting your team to do your dirty work, but prioritizing your time and energy so it can best serve the needs of your organization.

But in order for this to happen, leaders need to make room for mistakes and inefficiencies to happen along the way. It’s funny how many people understand the concept of delaying gratification and making financial sacrifices now to yield future pay offs. However we don’t seem to understand this when it comes to developing and equipping our people. All the immediate frustrations and setbacks you face with delegating are paving the way for future dividends; both with your team, and you as a leader. Nonetheless effectively delegating is still a difficult thing to do and requires great patience, communication and leadership skills.

So with that said here are a few tips and strategies to make your path to delegation success a little easier:

1. Drive home empowerment

A major reason employees don’t take responsibility is because they don’t feel empowered too. They are worried that if they get creative in a solution, or step outside their typical job responsibilities, it will be breaking the authority structure and they will be reprimanded. That is why it is so important for the leader to send a clear message of empowerment to their team. Let them know that they are empowered, what they are empowered to do, and be constantly reminding them of this. The trade-off here is that greater empowerment means mistakes might be made in the process; especially early on. However, the positive impact of greater employee ownership, engagement and growth will far outweigh the negatives in the long run. The key is to overcommunicate the message of empowerment.

2. It’s all about the skills

Specifically, the skill gaps; what are they? What skills would your team need to be able to take on more responsibility? Some times we don’t notice what’s missing until we look for it. This process begins with you as a leader examining your task list. What things would you like to pass on? What things are diverting your attention away from your top priorities? The idea is to identify the daily distractions or immediate issues that come up each day and prevent you from focusing on important projects. These are prime real estate for delegation. Once you have found these tasks, start investing in your team so they can develop the skills needed to take them on.

3. It feels good to own the solution

So let your team own it! The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once wrote:

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

In our world we call this pride of ownership, and it’s one of our favorite principles at Capstone Coaching. It’s the feeling of satisfaction one gets when they take responsibility for solving a problem, and thus get to take ownership for a successful outcome. Too often leaders rob their people of this opportunity because they think they don’t have time to coach their employees, or it will be better done if they do it themselves. So they play mom or dad, and end up giving their team the answer, telling them how to do their jobs, or just doing the task themselves. While this might sometimes be more convenient in the moment, it is a big mistake long term.

Not only does this rob your people of a chance to grow, but it creates a subtle sense of incompetence in them because they know deep down that they did not solve the problem themselves. Furthermore, it will create an expectation that they don’t have to work for a solution because their manager will just step in when things get too hard.

The best way to do this is ask more questions. Don’t always give you team the answer, but help them arrive there themselves. Some examples include: “What would you do in this situation?” “How would you improve this product?” “You write up a proposal for me and we will go over it tomorrow.” However, make sure to pair this concept with point #1 on empowerment, or it will be an exercise in frustration for you as the leader.

BONUS: Get creative

Don’t get bogged down by arbitrary job titles or policies that make work more difficult. Sometimes you need to think outside the box and invent new positions or structure to better serve your organizational mission. As a leader how could you re-write the script to help yourself and your team be at their best?

I am confident these tips will help you successfully implement greater delegation at your workplace. The key is what are your next right steps? What could you start doing differently right now to see a better result? If you liked this article be sure to check out more of leadership resources on our blog at: https://www.capstonecoaching.ca/blog

Furthermore, if you are looking to invest in the communication, conflict resolution and emotional intelligence skills of your team, or want to take your leadership to the next level, feel free to reach to Michael Walker, our Head Coach at: michael@capstonecoaching.ca to start a conversation of how Capstone Coaching can help you and your organization achieve your desired success!