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Delegating means letting others become the experts and hence the best.
–Timothy Firnstahl
I hope you don’t still believe the old axiom that: If you want something done right, do it yourself. If even an iota of this belief resides in your management practice, you’re wasting valuable time and wasting a whole lot of human potential.
Perhaps you’re like some of my clients who say: My employees are so overloaded, I just can’t give them another thing. If you’re thinking this, you’ll be surprised by a recent Conference Board report which stated that 78% of all personnel in major corporations believe that their “boss, manager or supervisor they have a reporting relationship with routinely does work that would be more effectively done by someone at their level.” As a matter of fact, research discloses that 51% of managers are working on tasks well below their level. Well, doesn’t this blow wide open the whole discussion of delegation?
The truth is that many employees in your organization are chomping at the bit to be empowered, to gain those additional abilities and relationships that will position them for promotion. And without knowing it, you are their barrier, while your production is being diluted by the time you’re spending on less significant work. And you wonder why you’re overloaded!
Delegation isn’t a skill set that any of us arrived in this world owning yet; it can be developed and mastered over time. In fact,
- More than 80% of managers agree they need help to achieve successful delegation.
- And yet, Towers Watson 2013-2014 Change and Communication ROI Study lists delegation as one of the four characteristics of effective managers.
Begin immediately to challenge yourself to restructure the way you respond to your work and benefit as you strengthen your delegation muscle. When introduced appropriately, your improved delegation skills will benefit you long term. In fact, delegation is a win-win-win; for you, as it ensures you accomplish far more through others than you ever could do on your own. For your subordinates, as they have the opportunity to develop skills for their future; and for your company, as the entire workforce grows robust contributors at all levels.
