“Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”
–Steve Jobs
I was on a call about three weeks ago with my mentor, Paul Martinelli, and I asked him what he does when he’s stuck. He thought about it for awhile before he answered. He told me that the first thing he does is searches himself for the reasons why he may be stuck. He asks himself questions like these;
“Am I stuck because I really don’t want to do what I need to do?”
“Am I procrastinating?”
“Am I dreading doing something?”
If it is something only Paul can do, he does it. He doesn’t procrastinate much, if at all. Paul said he can usually solve the challenge by delegating. If it is something that someone else can do, he delegates it. But, Paul said he has to delegate well, or the job will end back up in his lap.
In my work with other organizations, I find that the inability to delegate can make the leader feel burned out. Overwhelmed might be the better word to use. Trying to do everything all alone is also quite inefficient, and impossible for the organization. It’s much better to spread out the workload! Everyone can achieve more.
What are some ways to delegate a task so that it doesn’t come back to us to accomplish? As a recovering control freak, these are some steps that I take;
1. I explain thoroughly what I would like the end result of the task to look like. Thoroughly is the operative word here. I was not always good at this, since I am not detail oriented, but I have learned my lesson (more than once.)
2. I then give the delegatees (is that even a word?) dates when I am going to check their progress. These dates go in my calendar, so I don’t forget. You don’t get what you don’t inspect. My previous boss used to tell me this all the time.
3. I empower my team member with the authority to get ‘er done and then I get out of the way. I let them know that I am open to answering any questions they may encounter on the way, no matter how insignificant those questions may seem.
4. When checking their progress, I let them know how they’re doing. I compliment the good work already done and give constructive feedback if needed. Many times I might recall a more efficient way to do a specific task. If this happens, I offer the suggestion. Sometimes, my suggestion turns out to be a “I never thought of that!” moment. Many times, however, the team member shows me a better way to get the job done. Yippee!!
5. At the completion of the delegated project done well, I applaud the work! I do that publicly because I want a work environment that rewards good work. If I team members to praise others in their work, I need to model that.
Delegating those things that I can, builds a culture of trust in my organization. Delegating grows not only my team’s self-confidence but helps them to grow into their potential and out of their comfort zone. I have found that this stretching allows my team members to build more skills and develop their capabilities.
Yes, it felt uncomfortable at first, but delegating well benefits me as the leader. I am free to concentrate on my work of planning, visioning, leading and developing the organization. Once I learned the skill of delegating well, I felt like I got my life back.
Still growing,
Jan
Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team
(still CEO of Life Options)
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