Delegation is the Decision to Replace Yourself

You’d delegate if you had the time, but it’s easier to do it yourself. Even though your brain says the previous sentence is self-limiting and ridiculous, managers still say it.

Managers know ‘doing it by yourself’ is a short-term strategy, but in high pressure environments all that matters is getting through the day.

5 reasons to develop delegation skills:

  1. You feel like you’re rowing alone.
  2. You work late. Everyone else goes home on time.
  3. You touch every decision.
  4. Your team feels like you don’t trust them.
  5. You’re bombarded with questions. People don’t dare to move forward without your nod of approval on everything they do.

7 reasons you don’t delegate:

  1. Others might outshine you. Insecurity is a bottleneck to delegation.
  2. You’re a control freak who struggles to trust people.
  3. Others aren’t equipped. They haven’t been trained.
  4. Mission and vision are ambiguous. People don’t know where they’re going.
  5. You overestimate your own importance.
  6. You’re protecting people from discomfort and stress. Coddlers end up overworked and underappreciated.
  7. The last time you delegated to someone, it was a fiasco.

Delegating is the decision to replace yourself in specific areas.

Begin with TASKS. Move to AUTHORITY:

Assign specific tasks. See how they perform. 

  1. Do they follow through?
  2. When did their energy go up?
  3. How are they interacting with others?
  4. Do they look for more?

After an employee demonstrates competence, initiative, and follow through, delegate authority.

The difference between assigning tasks and delegating authority is control. For example…

Sweep the floor is an assign tasked. Keep the room clean is delegated authority.

Why do managers struggle to delegate?

What delegation tips might you suggest?