No more excuses for not delegating
“I’m bad at delegating.”
Almost every leader I’ve coached has said some version of this.
As common as this sentiment is, you’d think there would be a straightforward solution, but it’s a little different for each person.
That’s probably why it shows up in my coaching conversations. Coaching is a great place to explore the intricacies of the internal and external obstacles that stop us from performing at our best. We get to the bottom of it fast and create a tailored solution specific to their situation.
Though there’s no single “right” approach, I can point to a handful of patterns that are typically involved. Which of these resonates with you?
Urgency
Tight deadlines lead to an “I’ll do it myself” response. The need for the back-and-forth verification of task completion is eliminated. Further, the adage, “If you want it done right, do it yourself,” gets validated.
Guilt
Leaders want their team members to enjoy their jobs, so they keep menial tasks and “dirty work” on their own to-do lists.
Lack of systems
Without a clear way to follow up, leaders fear what would happen if they delegated a task. Would the ball get dropped? A lack of systems is further compounded by urgency and guilt, making it even harder to let tasks go.
Content to operate at a lower level
When a leader has not fully transitioned out of their former role, they hold onto low-level tasks for one or more of these reasons:
They haven’t grieved the loss of status and expertise they enjoyed in their previous role
They haven’t yet developed the skills required in their new role, or
They are unsure of how to use their time and energy now.
Perfectionism
I tell leaders that they’ve got to be willing to “draw the box”—to clearly define the parameters of a successfully completed task—when they make requests of their team members. Draw it too tightly, and you risk frustrating yourself and the individual charged with the task.
Unclear definition of success
This is the opposite of perfectionism. If you describe the parameters too vaguely, you’ll likely end up playing the Rock Game.
Undeveloped team
Perhaps the majority of your team is new to their roles or they’re simply dependent on your exacting direction. Either way, there’s no one you can reliably ask to complete complex tasks, navigate ambiguous situations, or solve problems autonomously.
The insidious problem with each of these 7 patterns is that they are self-reinforcing vicious cycles. If you want to get better at delegation, you absolutely have to break the cycle.
Break the Cycle
Once you clarify the pattern of thoughts and behaviors that impede your ability to delegate, try these next steps:
State the beliefs that fuel your current thoughts and behaviors.
Challenge those beliefs: Are they absolutely true? How can you know that they’re true? What possibility would open up if they were not true?
Consider alternative views: What are other ways of looking at the situation? What might I not be noticing? How else could I think about it?
Design a low-risk experiment aimed to disprove your inhibiting beliefs. If you can create a crack in the armor of previously unchallenged beliefs, you’ll be amazed at the possibilities that open up.
No more excuses!