Dave Erdman, the President of Vital Learning Corporation, offers his thoughts.
The Issue
Have you ever wondered why it is, that even with the most careful planning and organization, certain projects fail to achieve the results you envisioned? Ask yourself this question, “Did I derail my own plans because I was not willing to delegate?
Some Perspective
We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” From my point of view, nothing could be further from the truth.
As a veteran of four different corporations, I often think about the lessons I’ve learned over the years. What I know for sure is that learning to delegate effectively will make you a more effective leader. Yes, planning and organization can help, but if you aren’t delegating, chances are you will constantly battle the problem of keeping up with everything that has to be done, which leads to productivity issues.
These days, leaders are charged with many challenges, including the maximization of resources. Those who are in a position of responsibility must constantly be in the mode of developing talent. And, one of the best ways to do that is by delegating tasks.
Delegating accomplishes two things. One, it expresses your confidence in your team members. And two, delegation motivates team members to step outside of their box and go beyond the previously defined limits of their potential.
I’ve also worked with team leaders who had other preconceptions, which always seemed to hold them back from delegation: “Some people are basically lazy, interested only in their paycheck and fringe benefits.” Or, “If I grant team members additional responsibility my authority will be challenged.” Does that sound familiar?
These preconceptions are often the reason team leaders hesitate to assign tasks to their team members, resulting in a lack of productivity, low motivation among the team, and in general, real problems in the workplace.
What’s holding back the team leaders in your organization? In my experience one of the main reasons team leaders hold back is that they do not have confidence that they know “how to” delegate effectively, and that the assignment will be done well, and the belief that they have done so in a manner that demonstrates real leadership.
Many team leaders can benefit by a deeper understanding of the skills that those who delegate effectively use and put into practice every day.
A Solution
The Vital Learning formula for boosting skill levels, and results, is
found in our “Delegating” program. Without going into detail the basic
model looks like this:
• Explain the need for delegation
• Use delegation of task to motivate
• Explain and ask team member's view
• Specify responsibility and authority
• Confirm team member's understanding and set up time for review
Check yourself! Do you have a model to follow when you delegate? The five steps above can really make a difference. To develop the skill, consider our online course on Delegating or have your training director contact us for information on a classroom version he or she can conduct.
Quotable Quote
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. ~ Dwight Eisenhower
