“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”
– John C. Maxwell, American author
This quote says it all. As humans, we can only achieve so much by ourselves. True leaders rely on others to get more done. This is the only way to truly achieve great success.
5 Reasons to Delegate
Leaders lead, right? In order to lead others, the leader does not have to “do” everything. In fact, it’s extremely counter-productive to “do” everything themselves. True leadership is setting the example, mentoring others, and taking responsibility for the big picture, no matter what happens. Leaders that delegate, however, can count on gaining the following 5 benefits when they count on others to produce results:
- Save Time: This is the most obvious reason a leader should delegate. By assigning a task or responsibility to someone else, the leader is able to focus on other goals or the “big picture”; generating overall growth and well being for their organization.
- Generates Ideas from Different Perspectives: Delegating inherently involves other people’s take on what they are being asked to do. It can shine a different light on something through questions and proposed methods of how to achieve what is being delegated to them, according to Entrepreneur Magazine.
- Empowers Others: By engaging someone through delegation, the person being delegated to feels like they have “skin in the game”. They are being trusted with something that has been handed over to their care. In other words, they have the power since it is now their responsibility.
- Creates Loyalty: When a leader shows confidence in another person to get something done, a sense of loyalty to that leader is created. You trusted me, so I will trust you; which fosters a greater sense of loyalty.
- Strengthens the Support System: Knowing how to delegate and truly delegating to others shows confidence in other’s abilities.They are more likely to support the leader’s overall vision and goals since they had a real impact on what happened to get to the end result.
Be Clear When Delegating
There are two types of actions that can be delegated, tasks and responsibilities. Unfortunately, not many leadership training programs teach leaders how to delegate them correctly. This is the most common area where a leaders fail according to Inc. Magazine. It is important for a leader to know how to delegate both appropriately, or end up with more on their plate.
Tasks usually have a clear beginning or ending; completing an errand, filing documents or calling to make appointments are just a few common tasks a leader delegates. In these cases, how they are completed is not as important has the knowing the desired result; complete the task.
Responsibilities are ongoing; handing over authority over a process to someone else in order to get something done. Delegating responsibility is the most common kind of delegation that fails. The leader must be clear what is involved, such as which decisions they can and can not make without approval, resources they can utilize or specific techniques they can use to fulfill their delegated responsibility. If they are not clear about these parameters, other people in the organization could be threatened and this could cause more, not less, work to be put on the leader’s plate.
If done right, delegating to others could be the path to greatness for any leader. Admitting that you “can’t do it all” and empowering those around you is what a true leader does.
Learn How to Successfully Delegate with Fun Team Building
Larry Lipman of Fun Team Building can teach your organization how embrace the power of delegating to others. Learn how to work “smarter”, not “harder”! He has worked with teams for over 20 years and has formulate unique leadership activities for all types of corporate and not-for-profit organizations. To learn more or schedule an event, call Larry at 770-333-3303 today!