The purpose of effective delegation is to ensure that the appropriate tasks are completed by the right people, in the best way possible and in a timely fashion. When we’re trying to DO everything, we may direct our focus towards inappropriate tasks or resist letting go of projects as a result of a fear-driven need to control. Either way, learning the art of delegation is an ongoing process worthy of frequent checking. Quite simply, when we learn to distribute our workload effectively, delegation holds the key to freedom in work, rest and play.
At work, there is a host of benefits equated with effective delegation. It’s more than just about freeing up our time and headspace. It’s about cultivating sustainable and high-performance teams that deliver whether we’re on-site or not. Moreover, it’s about engendering a trust culture within teams, encouraging growth and development and allowing people to make, and learn from, their own mistakes.
Freedom and ownership allow your team to enjoy self-management and the many benefits that accompany it. Increased satisfaction, more energy, higher morale lead to a greater level of passion and engagement.
How To Frame The Concept of Delegation
If you were to consider every project you work to be a small child. Now, like all parents, you hope to raise a delightful child that everyone wants to pick up, cuddle and adore. However, sometimes that child will have a tantrum and cause absolute chaos. It is what it is.
At any given time, your business will have multiple children. You will be responsible for raising some of those children and considered an influence in the upbringing of others. Either way, finding the balance between being a controlling or a negligent parent holds the key to your success and that of your children. Moreover, it holds the power of work-life fit or balance, team empowerment, career growth, work satisfaction and managing your mindset.
Self-Inflicted Frustration & Workload
When we open our awareness to appreciate how we’ve created a mountain of work and the frustration associated with it, we feel simultaneously empowered and slightly ridiculous. Suddenly, we’re aware that delegation holds the key to freedom in all areas of our lives. We couldn’t see it before now – it’s time to get some childcare!
Perhaps we remember all those times we resented our team walking out the door when we still had hours of work to do. We consider how we’ve felt like a jaded parent, looking after kids that were never ours in the first place. Moreover, we realise how our inability to empower others can be easily resolved and we can begin to build a more positive working environment for everyone.
Changing Our Perception
The truly wonderful thing about this moment of realisation is the commitment that happens afterwards. Since you may have been too busy ‘doing’ in the past, you may not have had time to understand your team’s core issues and offer them the time to discuss real solutions. You commit to change that, making time to prioritise team connection from now on.
What’s more, you start to appreciate that you’ve given your team the idea that you want to look after all the kids, to control everything. They may even perceive you to be a micro-manager who wants to find all their solutions. You realise how disempowering and demotivating this is for them. Once again, you commit to letting go and giving ownership and parenting rights to your team members.
And finally, when you have the time to talk with your team and discuss their projects, you begin to focus on coaching them to develop as project parents and guardians. You commit to their development and, in turn, they feel empowered and motivated to care. You’re only left with one question, “why didn’t I do this sooner!”
Delegating Our Way To More Freedom
6 Steps To Motion & Freedom
When we begin the delegation process, we remove the limbo sensation. We activate the (previously imprisoned) children or projects that awaited a response or plan from us to move forward. We create a rhythm of momentum, making room for more children or projects. This in turn, expands our team’s comfort zone and makes them more efficient and successful.
If you’re reading this and it feels a bit too familiar, here are 6 steps you can following to activate you, your projects and your team. The guidelines and considerations are shown further down the page.
- Write a list of every active and future project in your team. Identify the skillsets most required to achieve the project and put a deadline against each of them to prioritise.
- Spend some time assessing the individual talents and skills of your team members. Put on a fresh perspective, open your mind and really consider the talents they have that are not being utilised.
- For each project on the list, describe it clearly and then create bullet points under the headings of Objectives, Considerations, Next Steps, Projected Outcomes.
- Assign each of the projects an owner. Make that person wholly responsible for project management and delivery.
- Put steps in place to ensure any risk is covered.
- Schedule meetings to feed, inspire and health-check those children!
Considerations For Each Step
1. Writing The List
- Be ruthless with the list. Even if you’re unsure one of the children can be handed over, or if you believe it’s a problem child, plan to delegate it. Ask yourself, “how would I handle that and can I direct someone else to complete it in the same way.” You may even want to assign a checking frequency at this stage to better manage any problem children in the planning stage.
- Write down what you believe the next move with each project is.
- Remember to include your objectives or management projects in this list. It allows you a better view of your own time.
2. Consider The Skills Present In Your Team
- Always approach this with a fresh perspective. No matter what tasks you’ve given each member in the past. Consider what they CAN do.
- Some people are naturally good at detail, while others are better at big picture creative thinking. What projects require which skills?
- Can you develop someone in a specific skill set or area with a less urgent project? Which projects can you use to grow your team?
- Consider which of your team members are resilient and like to solve problems themselves. This is the direction to hand the problem children. That way, you won’t feel the urge to pick up the child at the first sign of a tantrum. You may not even hear the scream!
3. Describe & Summarise
- What’s the purpose and impact of the project?
- Who are the stakeholders?
- What is the desired outcome?
- Important considerations (thinks you’re taking into account) should be listed. This must include things which may be obvious to you from your perspective, and may be less obvious to one of your team members. For example, confidentiality.
- Jot down the next step and the last step.
4. Assign Those Kids A New Parent!
- Hand over projects during a 1-2-1 discussion, giving the new parent time to ask questions.
- Be clear about your expectations.
- Ask them to agree to update you at a frequency that gives you comfort.
- Explain that every time they come to you with a challenge, you want them to bring a solution.
- Let go … REALLY!
5. Manage The Risk – Get Insurance
It’s useful, especially if you’re shifting from micro-management to management (no judgement here – we’ve all been there!) to prevent disaster. Quite simply, if you’ve had your fingers in all the pies, you may not have taken the time to share the perspective you have. What seems like an amazingly innovative idea to a team member, maybe highly inappropriate from your perspective. Naturally, this insurance policy can relax as your team develops.
- Ask your team to make their recommendations to you BEFORE they act.
- Request that your team members get approval from you BEFORE they act.
- Ensure your team keeps you informed of any delays or problems along the way, even if they don’t think it’s a problem.
- Allowing people to make mistakes is part of this development process. To minimise your stress, it’s important to identify what errors could be critical and which ones you can afford to let happen.
- Most importantly, ask yourself what control measures you need in place to support YOU in letting go.
6. Brainstorming, Health-Checking And More
- Identify how frequently you want a check-in meeting on each project and schedule them in advance.
- Be aware that sometimes projects can travel off-piste. It’s important to catch it before it travels too far.
- Also, check up outside of these meetings to catch the new parent doing something right. Catch it and congratulate.
- Use the checking process as a platform to build trust and open communication with your team member. Treat it as a check-up and something they can perceive as a growth opportunity.
Being Ruthless To Serve The Business
Sometimes it’s important to remember that not all projects are worthy of continuation, even if you’ve put a significant amount of work into them. Every month it’s useful to ask “what is the purpose of doing this?” If the project does not move the team or the business towards a viable goal – let it go.
Always keep ACTION in mind. Every meeting wants a clear outcome of what the next steps are and who is responsible for taking them. Without this, there is no momentum.
Interesting In Delegation Training?
Fire Dragon offers Core Skills Delegation Training Courses for individuals and teams via Executive Coaching, Online training and live training delivery. If you want to free your team to be more efficient and effective, get in touch to find out how Fire Dragon can support you.
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