I must admit that at one time during my career I was a terrible delegator. One reason was that I thought that the job would not be done as well as I could do it. Arrogant, I know. Another is, I thought by the time I showed someone else how to do it or I explained what I wanted done, I could have done it myself. Sound familiar?
I now believe that delegating is a key to effective leadership and here’s why.
- It gets stuff off your plate. Every leader I know is time poor. You are currently tied up doing things that others could do for you. Delegate and use your time for things only you can do.
- You get to share your wisdom. If you are in a key position you possess valuable information, so through the process of delegating you are passing on your corporate knowledge.
- It gives others opportunities to grow. People will gladly accept an opportunity to learn something new, particularly if it gives them an opportunity to shine.
- You will identify future leaders in your organisation. A great way to identify talent in your organisation is to hand out responsibility. Those who step up and exceed your expectations can be on your leadership radar.
- You can use the time you gain to invest in leadership activities. The time you gain by effectively delegating can be used to think about, and do leading. As we all know, leading well takes time.
Having a fully engaged, busy, productive team enables you, the leader, the time and head space to lead more effectively.