“You don’t have to do everything, even Batman had Robin.”
–Anonymous
When I work with executives, delegating can be a tough concept for them to grasp. I’ve been there. I didn’t enjoy giving up control, especially when I knew it would be faster and easier to do it myself. Besides, nobody could do it as good as I could. Big smile here, because when I began to delegate, I found that my team members often had better ideas and better ways of doing it.
As the leader, the buck stopped with me. I enjoyed sharing in the success of a task given to someone else. However, if a mistake or there was failure, ultimately I was held accountable for it.
I found these four brilliant steps to make delegating uncomplicated in the Maxwell Daily Reader:
1. First, I do it. I learn to do the job. I need to understand the why as well as the how.
2. I do it–and you watch. I demonstrate it while you observe. I explain what I’m doing and why as you watch the process. As a task oriented person, I need to make sure that I’m detailed enough, so I ask questions to make sure you understand well. You are able to ask as many questions as you need, as well.
3. You do it–and I watch. I give you permission and authority to take over the job, but I stay with you to offer advice, correction and encouragement. This helps me to trust you with the job AND you develop trust in yourself as you complete the task with excellence.
4. You do it. Once you are proficient, I step back and let you work alone. You are drawn up to a higher level because you learn to trust yourself and I am freed up to move on to higher things.
Does this way of on the job training take time? Absolutely. But it is so worth it. When I learned to delegate in this way, my staff rose to the occasion to accomplish the tasks I had given them. Many times, these tasks were out of my strength zones but within the talents and strengths of others. I was freed up to achieve the goals for which I was hired, like visioning, strategizing and future planning. Delegating became a “win-win.”
And it still is!
Jan
Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team
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