Dirty Delegation?

Michelle Braden, cbc

Why is it people often think of delegation as “dirty?”  Delegation allows the human leverage for accomplishments and people development that would not otherwise be possible.  Through my years in management I worked with many different people, none of them alike; however, as in so many areas of human behavior we can categorize people groups.  I found three categories when it came to delegation…. Those who loved it, those who hated it and those with a good balance.   I am sure you have already guessed a good balance is what leaders should be striving to attain.   
 
I found those who loved to delegate were very good at it.  It seemed they could find people anywhere to do their work.  There is strength in their ability to see what others are good at and have them do it.  People want to be good at something, but they also want a leader who is leading with integrity.  One who will mentor, train, encourage and work just as hard as they are.  This advantage can become a leader’s disadvantage when it is inappropriately or overused.  The result is lack of trust and resentment.
 
The other extreme were those who hate delegating.  These individuals would rather do it themselves, miss deadlines, have poorly completed or projects not done at all.  I found these leaders did not like confrontation, feared not being liked, fear of loss of authority/control, liked the role of martyr or were not willing to take the time to teach others.  Therefore, they ended up taking too much on their plate.  When this happens everyone suffers.  Workloads should be equally shared on a team.   People want the opportunity to be a part of a team, accomplish new tasks, and take on new challenges…. To boldly go where no man has gone before!  Lack of delegation handicaps the leader and their team.
 
The most gifted and talented person only has so much energy and 24 hours in a day.  Delegation allows one person to accomplish much more.  This brings us to the last category which is “good balance”.  Influential leaders are training and coaching their team members on a continual basis.  They see there strengths and potential.  They are not afraid to give them opportunity, to take them “under their wing” and train them.  They are not afraid to let them fail – knowing failure is one of the best teachers.  They are there when they fail:  to pull them up, dust them off, encourage, mentor and help them evaluate what they need to do differently.   “The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way,” Dale Carnegie.
 
Leaders birth other leaders and the only way they can do that is to be willing to properly delegate.  Not all delegation is complicated.  You will have team members who are good at a project, you tell them what to do and they will run with it; however, others will need mentoring, encouragement, instruction, feedback, etc.  A leader with strong balance in delegation will know their team members,  their strengths, motivators, what they are already good at, where they have potential to be good and where they need coaching. 
 
A leader who delegates appropriately also knows their team members may not do things the way they do, or as well as they do, but recognizes this as part of the process.  Allowing people to explore new ways to accomplish projects is imperative.   Jim Goodwin once said, “The impossible is often the untried.”  Bishop W.C. Magee said, “The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”  A good leader will allow their people to try new things, new ways of doing them and yes make mistakes!
 
Surround yourself with excellent people.  Take time to delegate to them effectively.  Enjoy developing your team, learning and seeing them grow.  Hopefully, they will be better than you…. Your ceiling should be their floor…. To be so uninhibited… That is an admirable leader – http://www.msbcoach.com