One of the most common mistakes made by supervisors – especially those who are new to leadership – is taking on unnecessary tasks … trying to do everything by themselves. As a result, they can easily find themselves buried under a ton of work. Sound familiar? Things move slower, not as much gets done, and job satisfaction is reduced. What’s the best way to avoid that trap? DELEGATION! You need to pass along certain duties and responsibilities to your direct reports so that: a) more actions are being done by more people, more of the time, b) you’re a facilitator of, rather than a barrier to, progress, and c) you can focus on – and accomplish – those important tasks that really must be done by you.
As you look at what’s on you plate that you might ask others the handle, keep the following in mind:
When TO Delegate
- When the task or action is really someone else’s to do.
- When it provides a fairly low-risk opportunity for someone to learn, grow, and develop.
- When someone else is equally (or better) equipped to handle it.
- When you are more concerned that something gets done and less concerned that it gets done in a certain way.
- When you haven’t helped the person prioritize the new task relative to your other expectations.
- When you won’t be accessible for any counsel and guidance that the person may need.
- When someone is new, too inexperienced, or otherwise incapable of performing the task.
- When you truly are the best person to handle it – due to sensitivity, confidentially, timing, experience, etc.
No person will make a great business who wants to
do it all himself or get all the credit.
~ Andrew Carnegie
do it all himself or get all the credit.
~ Andrew Carnegie
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
-- Jack Welch
